Beasley Kaz Adventure

It's been one year since we met Kobe....

2009-11-07T23:17:00.020-05:00

I can't believe that it has already been a year since we first walked into the baby house & held Kobe for the first time. I thought we were going to met a government official when we pulled up to the baby house in Karaganda. We could smell lunch cooking as soon as we walked into the door. It was much cleaner than I expected. We waited with several other families in the director's office. I was emotional when a nurse came in & handed me Kobe. He started crying almost immediately. I forgot about my tears of joy as I tried to comfort him. It took him 3 days before he became comfortable with us. He has had so many new experiences in the last year & has adapted so well. When we walked out of the baby house, he never looked back!!!!
It is hard to believe that he was the shy little fellow who we bonded with for the first week. I have left out lots of details but the most important point is that Kobe was meant to be our son & I feel so blessed every day that I get to enjoy his smile.
First Day

He was so happy when that first visit was over.

One week later!!!!

Kobe's bed....

Last Visit at the Baby House before leaving Karaganda

Trick or treat.....

2009-11-01T21:23:00.016-05:00

Halloween is so much fun! Kobe didn't really understand the concept of trick or treat. He tried to give his candy to everyone. He loves to share :)
We carved pumpkins, went to the fall festival at the whole ministry center, went trick or treating, & went to the O'neal's fun yard!!!!
We were busy this weekend. He wasn't afraid of anything. He would walk up & say ugly man to a mask & he tried to hit the swamp creature chasing him at the fun house:) He is one tough boy!!!! This week will be tough on Mom because Kobe will probably be bored & he needs to go to rehab for too many lollipops!!!!!

Howl O Scream....

2009-10-18T23:08:00.016-04:00

Although the weather wasn't as nice as we would have liked, we had lots of fun this weekend in Williamsburg, Va. It was Kobe's first visit to an amusement park. We did visit the Park in Almaty but the rides were closed since it was in January, so that one really doesn't count.

We stayed at the Kingsmill Resort which is located on the James River. It was an awesome place & we would love to go back in warmer weather.

Gabe, Annabelle, & Kobe

Kobe looks for boats everywhere he goes!!!!

Nap Time!!!

Kobe giving knuckles :)

It seems like every time we are planning to have a little fun the weather doesn't cooperate:( It was cold & it drizzled a little but we still had a blast! Annabelle & Gabe were real troopers & are always ready to give a helping hand to Kobe. We saw a 3D Sesame Street Show & Kobe actually watched it. We didn't stay until dark which is when the scary stuff starts happening. I think we will wait a few years for that. Kobe did very well being away from home & riding for 3 hours each way in a car seat. I think he is ready to travel now!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!!

2009-09-08T18:18:00.018-04:00

Kobe celebrated his birthday with Nemo!!!!
We told him several times he was having a birthday party but he didn't understand. He went to Alyssa's birthday party two weeks ago so whenever we said birthday he associated it with Alyssa. We think he finally understood it yesterday when he saw his birthday cake. He wanted to touch it & eat it. He was obsessed with it which was funny since he eats very little. The first thing he said after his nap was cake.
It looked like Christmas around here. For some reason everyone came with more than one gift:) We were planning a pool party but we got rained out. The weather was really nasty but it didn't spoil our party spirits!!!! Of course we had lots of food. It did clear up long enough to have a few bubbles & the older kids swam in the rain:)
Kobe enjoyed having everyone in the house. He likes it noisy!

Note from Marla
I haven't been blogging much lately. It feels odd since I was obsessed with reading everyone's blog for over a year. Facebook makes it so much easier to stay in touch with everyone & it is much quicker. So please don't be offended if I haven't commented on your blog lately. I just can't seem to find the time:)

Summer time playing is coming to an end......

2009-08-20T17:55:00.023-04:00

The start of school always makes me sad since it signals an end to our summer playing. The weather will still be nice for another month & we can still go out in the boat & to the beach but somehow homework & getting up for school puts an end to the joyful days of summer. School starts next week. Yuck!!!!!
Kobe has had so much fun with his cousins Walker, Emily, & Cassie this summer. We have had great times at the beach & out in the boat but we have also done other things which were new for Kobe.

We visited the Bodie Island Lighthouse. My great great grandfather was a Lighthouse Keeper & my great grandmother was born there.

We also climbed Jockey's Ridge. Jockey's Ridge is a state park & is the tallest natural sand dune system in Eastern United States. You can see the ocean & the sound on the top of it. You can fly a kite or just roll down the hill. It is impossible to leave without a pile of sand :)

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We also went to The Aquarium on Roanoke Island. It is small but Kobe loved it because there were lots of fish. He really liked the sharks. It is worth going if you get your picture taken. They have really neat backgrounds that can be added to your photo. The last photo is one taken by the Aquarium

We haven't taken a family vacation since coming home with Kobe. We have been so busy playing that I haven't even missed it. I think we have had a wonderful first summer thanks to our family and friends!!!!!

Time Flies when you are having fun....

2009-07-17T09:32:00.016-04:00

It has already been 6 months since we arrived home from Kaz. Things have certainly changed around our house. I don't always accomplish my goals each day. At first I was really hard on myself but I am learning to live life in the moment. It is more important for me to read a book to Kobe than to have things spotless. I once read a plague that said, "A clean house is a sign of a boring person." Well since Kobe came to town, the word boring/bored has not been used in our house :)
I finally had pictures taken professionally of Kobe. It took most of the day. We had two sittings because he wasn't in the mood on the first one.

First Week Home

Now

Kobe has the best smile. He also has the personality to go with it. He is a
player already when it comes to the girls. Old & young. He loves to give kisses!!!!
He rarely meets a stranger. He has bonded extremely well. He is a daddy's boy but prefers his momma to comfort him. He loves his big sister & is a royal pain to her in more ways than one. He loves to yell her name in public just to embarrass her but all is forgiven when he says, "MY KYLIE." It is the only time he says MY.

Kobe doesn't eat much unless we are with a large crowd. He prefers to give his food to the dogs. He wants his milk warmed up. He loves ice! Almost everything he likes to eat is on the pediatrician's Do not feed list: popcorn,grapes,peanut butter,& shrimp. He also likes noodles with butter.

He can say almost anything but has a few favorites. Shrimp, crab, bites, big fish, horse, boat,& peaches. Did I mention bite? Everything bites; crabs,fish,bugs. He is obsessed with anything that will/can bite.

He loves his extended family. He will stay with Grammy who is my aunt Margaret Joy. He loves her as much as his grandparents, Pop & Kee. He loves to say his cousin Gabe's name but rarely says Annabelle's name. He also loves Cassie. Last week he got to see & play with Emily & Walker & also learned to say their names.

He loves to go to work with Joby at the seafood store. Granddad lets him call people on his phone & Grandmom pushes him around in a shopping cart & lets him play with all the stuff on the shelves. He loves to help & will try to pack fish or put crabs in a bag. He also enjoys greeting the customers & will try to give them something off the shelf to take home. I think he is going to be a great salesman.

He only sits quietly when we are reading or he is in a car seat. He loves to run. He doesn't watch TV much. He will watch Nemo on the DVD in the car. He likes Lazy Town because he watched it a little in Kaz. He loves to cook. He fixed pancakes in his kitchen this week while Joby went to the bathroom & poured 6 inches of syrup into his bowl & had syrup all over the kitchen floor. He climbs up the door handles on the fridge. I am dreading the day that he can open the door because he loves to just sit & pull the bottles off the shelf.

He loves shoes. He loves walking around the house wearing shoes even if they belong to someone else. His boots that Grammy gave him & his flip flops are his favorites. He also is trying to dress himself but isn't interested in potty training. He likes to brush his teeth & take a bath but hates rinsing his hair.

He sleeps 10-11 hours every night. He likes to take about a 2 1/2 hour nap every day. If he misses his nap, then he is a crab!!!! Some days he sleeps 3 or 4 hours. He doesn't sleep well away from his crib. He doesn't want to miss any action by sleeping.

I am amazed at all that Kobe has learned in such a short time. He has so much energy & passion. He has added lots of excitement to the Beasley home. We can't imagine life without him.

Few Words.....

2009-07-12T19:05:00.017-04:00

This week has been full of fun. Lots of sun, water, food, good fellowship, family, fireworks, karaoke, just a few words to describe what we have been doing this week. Kobe has kept everyone busy & smiling especially Grammy!!!!!

Kee & Kobe

Emily & Kylie

Cookout on 4th

Kobe & Kylie

Kobe playing with Ted

Emily singing Karaoke

Kassie reading

Kobe obsessed with a dead fish

Emily & Kobe

Lori & Kobe

Carrie Lee & Kobe

Grammy on the phone

First Dentist Visit.....

2009-07-07T23:45:00.006-04:00

Whew what a day! We left the house at 10:30am & didn't get to Virginia until 12:30. I wanted to take Kobe to the zoo but we didn't have enough time before the dentist visit. We went to Toys R US & Target before we saw the dentist.
Kobe picked on Kylie most of the day. While we were in the dentist office, he must have thought she was being hurt because he kept trying to kiss her.
He was tired so he acted like he was on a sugar high:) He just couldn't sit still. Normally in a new situation he is a little reserved but today he was just a mess. He broke the sunglasses they gave him, he knocked the tray with the instruments into the floor, he tried to push every button he could find & he spilled half a cup of water. I am sure they were happy to see us go!!!!
He did get a great report from the dentist though. Also he said the sweetest thing while I was checking out, he looked at Kylie & said, " My Kylie ". Then he gave her more kisses. The receptionist couldn't help but smile. He can be soooo sweet!

Poor Kylie had a rough day to say the least. He pulled her hair, hit her with his truck, & called her name very loudly in every store we visited. She hates to draw attention to herself & she rarely poses for a picture. Kobe is the opposite. He thrives on attention & he loves to get his picture taken!

Kylie told me on the way home to make her appointment on a different day next time :) I really do not blame her at all. I think he may get a little jealous when I talk to Kylie????

Every day seems so busy......

2009-06-23T16:04:00.013-04:00

On Saturday we went to the beach with the cousins'. The water wasn't that nice but we still had a good time. Kobe doesn't have leprosy, I just used sunscreen & skipped a few places :)
Kobe will only sleep in his bed or sometimes in the car seat. He fell asleep on the ride home but woke up once we arrived. So he only slept 20 minutes all day. He really can't go without sleep or he becomes a monster :)

Sunday he was tired but happy that his daddy was home. He slept most of the day but we still had time for a little fun. Joby & I went to lunch during Kobe's nap time. When Kobe woke up, we went & spent a little time with my dad who was at Margaret Joy's house. She had just made homemade peach ice cream so we were just in time. Then we went out in the boat for a sunset cruise!!!!

At the beach:

Gabe

Cassie

Kobe taking it easy

Out in the boat:

Joby trying to get a kiss

Kobe kissing the fish before Joby throws it back

The view on the ride home

Every day is not a beach day......

2009-06-17T10:47:00.007-04:00

The weather has been wacky this week. It doesn't feel like Summer at all. So we took a little time off from the beach :) Cousins Maddee & Cassie came over & played with us on the horses.

Dare Days....

2009-06-08T09:17:00.014-04:00

We live in Dare County which was named after Virgina Dare who was the first white child born in the Americas to English settlers. Mystery surrounds what became of her & the first Roanoke Colony which is most often referred to as the Lost Colony.
To start off the summer season, Dare Days is held the first Saturday of June. It is a festival held on the waterfront of Manteo. Kobe enjoyed his first Dare Days & I am certain that in the future I will see him jumping off the bridge & into the water which is a favorite tradition.

Kee & Kobe on the swings

Kobe is laughing going down the BIG slide

Kee & Kobe watching the boys jump off the bridge

A Wonderful Weekend

2009-05-31T21:18:00.013-04:00

I can't believe the weekend is over already. On Saturday, Kobe & I mowed the yard. It is amazing that he can sit on a mower for an hour but he won't play for 15 minutes by himself while I cook supper. After his nap we went to the beach. He played in the sand & water for about an hour. He became so tired that he could hardly stand up. I love living near the beach!!!!!

On Sunday we had a lazy morning but we made up for it in the afternoon. We went to a cookout given by the Rainbow Kids in our area. Most of the kids are girls adopted from China but we met a 4 year old boy from Korea & a girl from Thailand. It was a lot of fun!!!!! It was at an amazing pool. We look forward to meeting with them again:)

Beach Bum in training.......

2009-05-25T14:30:00.010-04:00

Since we couldn't be at the baby house watching the twins meet their mama & papa, we went to the next best place!!!! The beach :) The water is still a little chilly but Kobe doesn't seem to mind. I need a beach partner & I think Kobe is going to come thru for me!!!! Joby is working & Kylie had to work on a school project so Kobe & I headed to the beach for a few hours. He definitely has a farmers tan right now but in a few weeks I think he will be tan all over & his hair may be blond:)

This song makes me cry......

2009-05-22T13:07:00.007-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_lUnFjXg8

Every time I hear this song I get emotional. It seems just yesterday, Kylie was in preschool & her biggest worry was what color Kool-aid was being served that day. Now she is a junior in High School & she makes decisions that can impact her life. I am extremely proud of her. So far she is heading in the right direction but I know that tomorrow she could make a decision that would change her life.

One of my best friends told me this week that Kylie & Kobe are polar opposites. It is true!!!!

My parenting style is rather laid back. I do not tell Kylie, “NO or don’t do XYZ.” Instead I tell her that I would rather her not do XYZ & the reason why. It has worked well. I am afraid it is not going to work with Kobe. He laughs when I say, “NO!” He is determined to do whatever is on his mind & then fusses about the consequences. He can frustrate me in a second but when he smiles I just melt. I know that his biting, pulling hair, & hitting is just a phase. At first I thought it was the result of being at the baby house but after reading up on toddler development it seems like some toddler's express themselves this way. I can’t wait for him to get over it!!!!! At least I have a few years before he is driving so maybe I can figure out how to head him in the correct direction…..

18 Month Checkup.....

2009-05-17T13:49:00.008-04:00

Last week Kobe went for his 18 month checkup. He was 20 months on the 7th. We are running behind:) Everything was great. He now weighs 23 lbs. He is slowly gaining on the growth chart in height & weight. His head circumference is gaining also but not as rapidly. The doctor was very pleased with his progress. He can do everything he is suppose to be able to do except feed himself with a spoon & fork. Mainly that is my fault. At the baby house, Kobe wasn't allowed to touch his food because the caregivers shoveled it in. We let him feed himself finger foods but he makes such a mess that I haven't encouraged him to self feed. So it is my fault that he isn't up to par. His vocabulary however is advanced. Everyone is amazed at how well he is learning to speak. He can say almost anything he wants to say. Each day or sometimes week, he has certain words that he repeats all day long. Last week it was bite, crab bites, big fish. One day it was Kylie which made his sister very happy because most of the time he refers to her as meanie!!!!

So this week we are working on feeding himself:) He helped me bake a cake!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!

2009-05-09T18:49:00.006-04:00

I am wishing everyone a special day! It is certainly special to me. I am so thankful to have my Kazi boy home this year!!!!! I love being his mom. Every day is special with Kobe. He brings the sunshine out even on rainy days:)

I pray that all my blogger friends who haven't traveled yet will be united with their sons or daughters soon!!!!!

Slack Mom Or Just a Busy Month?????

2009-05-05T13:07:00.005-04:00

April was a rough month for me. I thought something was seriously wrong with me. I was exhausted all the time. Some days I would love to just stay in bed. Today I went to the doctor & she laughed at me. She told me I was expecting too much of myself. Now women to women, that is a very encouraging & sympathetic statement but I am not sure that my family would agree. They have had to eat ice cream or popcorn for dinner several times last month. Yes, it has been a big adjustment having a toddler to chase around all day & there is no doubt that he is a busy toddler. My one saving grace is that he is a great sleeper. He normally takes a nap for 2-3 hours each day & he sleeps about 11 hours straight at night. Thank goodness!!!!

Kobe's surgery, tax day, post adoption visit from social worker, my birthday, Easter, & Prom all occurred during this month & I dreamt of being back in Kaz with nothing to do but play with my boy & worry about what we were going to eat. It just seems like there is something big happening each week & I have failed to keep up....
We didn't have a welcome home party for Kobe, he is not up-to-date on his shots, he hasn't had his picture taken professionally yet, he didn't meet the Easter bunny, & lets not even talk about my house!!!!

I don't even have a new picture of Kobe to post. Hopefully, I will get it together this month........

Kobe wants to be one of the big kids......

2009-04-24T22:49:00.006-04:00

He helped the girls wash cars on Sunday afternoon. He really enjoyed himself!!!!

2009-04-16T11:01:00.007-04:00

Yesterday we had our first post placement visit with a new social worker. We loved our other social worker but she lived 1 1/2 hours away. The new one lives closer. She was nice but we all missed our time with the other one because she was crazy in a nice way!!!!!!

The visit was all about Kobe & how well he is adjusting. The SW was impressed with his vocabulary & his understanding of English. We think Kobe has adjusted exceptionally well & to have someone objective acknowledge it was nice. Unfortunately Kobe also showed his possessive side. He has started biting or pulling hair whenever we are not giving him our undivided attention. He didn't like me talking to the SW after a short time. The visit was very relaxed & the focus was all about Kobe & not how our house looked. With Tornado Kobe in the house it is hard to keep things straight!!!!!

The SW only looked at Kobe's room. Kylie was put out since she spent 1/2 the day cleaning her room. I was going to use it to get her to clean her room but now the SW ruined that incentive:) The SW asked us what the biggest adjustment had been on us & Kylie who will rarely answers questions from strangers spoke up & said he bangs his head or feet at night & I can hear him. This is how Kobe gets himself back to sleep. Since Kylie doesn't sleep much, it must disturb her computer time.

We didn't get any family pictures of Easter. We went after church to put flowers on Joboy & Jobaby's grave & Kobe had an accident which also messed up Joby. We had to come home & change clothes. Our only pictures of Kobe dressed up are at the graveyard.

Kobe checking out what the Easter Bunny left for Joboy...

Kobe with his serious look....

Almost smiling....

Kobe can share......

2009-04-13T09:48:00.006-04:00

Joby caught Kobe drinking out of the dog's water this week & now he is sharing his candy:)

Kobe is tough......

2009-04-11T12:25:00.007-04:00

Arrival at hospital

He won't be this happy for long.....

Please give me something to drink!!!!!

Kobe had his surgery on Tuesday. It wasn't easy:( We had to be at the hospital at 8:30am & the surgery was scheduled for 10am. Since we live 2 hours away we decided to stay in a hotel overnight. Kobe couldn't drink or eat anything after 6am so we thought it would be easier than riding in the car without anything to drink for 2 hours. Kobe wouldn't go to sleep!!! He stayed awake until 2 am. He constantly said bye bye & would take Joby his shoes. He wanted his crib!
If he had been born in the US, he would have had surgery when he was around 6 months old. Kaz waits until after age 2. His problem isn't uncommon. It was performed by the urologist & since it is part of Kobe's personal history I am going to leave it at that.
We had to wait almost an hour once we arrived at the hospital. Kobe was getting desperate for something to drink. We didn't get to see them put the IV's in or prep him for surgery. Honestly, I cried once the nurse took him away. It was hard knowing that we were trying to do something to help him but that it was going to cause him pain. I wanted to wait a few more months but the doctor insisted that we go ahead & take care of it. I feel he has faced so many new experiences in the short time we have been together. How much can one little fellow process?????
Once he was in recovery we were allowed to see & hold him. He was mad! Kobe is very expressive both with his pleasure & his displeasure. The nurse informed us that we couldn't leave until Kobe ate or drank something. I told her that we were going to be there awhile because he won't eat or drink when he is upset. He pulled the IV out of his arm when they went to give him more pain medicine. He wanted out of the hospital. Finally they just let us leave. The nurse walked us out to the car. When the door of the hospital opened to let us go out, Kobe took his bottle & looked at the nurse & took one sip. He wanted her to know he was in control!!!!! He slept all the way home. He was pitiful:(
The first few days he did better than we expected but he was in pain. Now he is running around smiling & trying to be himself but at times he just crys & wants his mama. I hope the Easter Bunny is extra good to him because his mama thinks he is a special boy!!!!!!

First Easter Egg Hunt......

2009-04-06T13:46:00.008-04:00

I think Kobe had a good time finding Easter Eggs. He liked running around in the grass almost as much as finding an egg. Joby got extra brownie points for going. I think there were only 3 dads there & he missed the end of the nascar race. He really didn't care once he found out that Jeff Gordon won:)

Cute Boy & Cute Outfit!!!!!

2009-03-29T12:34:00.006-04:00

I do not have much fun shopping for clothes for Kobe. There are always 2 or 3 times more clothes in the girls section. When I saw the crabs on this outfit, I had to have it for Kobe. His daddy really likes this outfit!!!!!!!!!

Fun, Fun, & Not so Fun.....

2009-03-21T10:21:00.011-04:00

It has been a busy week for Kobe. On Sunday we had a family dinner at Joby's parents home. Kobe enjoyed spending time with his cousins. He doesn't mind being the only boy.

Granddad's little man....

Look what happens when Momma isn't looking!!!!!!!

On Monday we went & got Kobe's first set of shots. He did much better than his trip to the SOS clinic. Who would have thought????? I took Joby for backup but he did so well that I am sure that we are on our own next time. One of the nurses wasn't sure about me taking pictures but the other one gave me the go ahead.

Before

After

The shirt says it all!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-13T13:22:00.009-04:00

This week......

2009-03-06T11:05:00.013-05:00

Kobe is going to be 18 months old.

We met him 4 months ago.

We have been home for two months.

He is a busy boy.

He had his hair cut for the second time.

He ate his first Popsicle.

His favorite words are doga & bye or go.

He hates the word NO.

He loves everybody.

He doesn't want to sit still to eat.

His favorite time of the day is bath time.

His best friends are Zoe & Cowboy. (the dogs)

He can walk.

He can make lots of different sounds but his most frequent one is a neigh for the horses.

He thinks he is a doggie. He walks around with stuffed animals in his mouth.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

2009-02-27T10:33:00.006-05:00

Kobe had his 2nd doctor's visit this week. He has gained two lbs in about 5 weeks. He is actually on the growth chart now in weight :) I really don't know how he has gained weight since he rarely eats more than 5 bites at any one time. We are supplementing with 2 bottles of Pedisure. I am wondering if he is supplementing with dog food when I am not looking. I have found him squatting over the dog bowl on all fours pretending to be eating but I haven't actually caught him eating it yet!
The pediatrician gave us the results of his blood work & it looks like several of the vaccinations that are on his medical from Kaz didn't show up. Now we need to give him the vaccinations over. The odd thing is that some of the vaccinations did show up. Has anyone else had this happen?????

Now Kobe needs a minor outpatient surgery soon & it will require anesthesia. The surgery will be performed by the urologist who suggested that we also circumcise Kobe at the same time. This is another odd situation because our pediatrician supported us not circumcising Kobe. Joby & I have had several debates about circumcising or not since we meet Kobe. I really didn't want to do it while we were discussing it in Kaz & during our first visit with the international pediatrician. Why do something unnecessary? Our pediatrician agreed. Joby prefers to have Kobe circumcised. Joby is concerned about infections later & the possibility that Kobe would need to be circumcised when he is older which would be more painful. So I have been pondering & asking my friends who have boys their opinions for the last month. I have heard lots of stories about necessary surgery in later years & the difficulty of it. Also I am not entirely comfortable doing the necessary maintenance. I know I am weird but I don't want one of Kobe's first memories being of me cleaning his stuff!!!! ARGGHHH.
I really want to do what is best for Kobe & it is one of those decisions that we just won't know until later. Also the urologist put a guilt trip on me by suggesting that not circumcising would make Kobe different from his friends which could cause emotional stress for him. She was very blunt about this & I was surprised because she is from India.
Who knew making such a decision would cause me such anguish? Any advice will be both welcomed & considered :)

Kylie's 17th Birthday!!!!!

2009-02-23T12:28:00.009-05:00

How can my daughter be 17? It seems that just a few years ago I turned 17.
Last year for Kylie's 16th Birthday we rented a beach house with an enclosed pool & celebrated the entire weekend. When Monday morning came, I was exhausted. We have always made a big deal about birthdays. Each year Kylie would pick her theme & then we would have a cake decorated according to the theme with all the matching accessories. Over the years, we have covered everything from Barney to polka dots. After last years Birthday Party, I told Kylie I was finished until she turned 21.
Last week I gave in because I felt a little guilty so I told her that she could have a few friends over for pizza,cake & ice cream. She was thrilled! Then I did what I always do & cooked all day long. We have enough food left over for the entire week!!!!
Kobe loved all the action & was the life of the party. He was so tired that he went to bed at 8:30-9:00pm while Kylie & her friends were still partying. He slept right thru it all. What a good boy!!!!!

Kylie's 2nd Birthday

Love, Love, Love !!!!!

2009-02-14T12:57:00.007-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!

My heart is filled with so much love for Kobe. Sometimes it takes my breath :)
How can one little boy contain so much joy????? He likes the beach. Can you eat too much sand??????

Our adventures in Almaty.....

2009-02-07T18:44:00.023-05:00

After Christmas our agency gave us the option of staying in Karaganda until after the New Year or leaving & waiting in Almaty. After 7 weeks of being in Karaganda we were ready for a change of scenery. Also by then, the child that lived above us & ran for 2-3 hours each night was getting on our last nerves. So we left Karaganda at 11pm on December 30th. John another adoptive parent was flying home to D.C. Thank goodness he was on the same flight because he helped Joby with all of our luggage since I had my hands full with Kobe. Joby left the stroller in Karaganda because he said it wouldn't fit in the car with all of our luggage. We hope someone else will get a chance to use it. Natasha was going to take it to the orphanage. Kobe was good on the flight but he did get a little loud. He wouldn't sleep even though he was tired. We think he was worried that something exciting might happen & he would miss it.
We arrived at our apartment in Almaty around 2am. It was much larger & nicer than our apartment in Karaganda. We couldn't dial out on the phone. Thankfully we had rented a cell phone for the entire trip. The toilet was in one room & the shower & sink was in a separate room. I don't know why they didn't have the toilet & sink together. It was kinda odd!!!!
Outside our apartment

Kobe on the swing outside our apartment

On the 31st our driver took us for a quick trip to the Ramstore (this is like an American mall, with a multitude of stores inside. This is where you can do most of your grocery shopping, as there is a full service grocery store as well. The bottom floor has a skating rink, food court, children's clothing store, internet café, one-hour photo and one-hour dry cleaners. The pizza slices and lamb kabobs are pretty good.)
He had to pick up our traveling partners who went to Astana for a few days so we didn't have much time to shop. He told us he was taking the next day off since it was New Year's Day which was fine with us. We found a map of the city in our apartment & figured we would go out exploring for the day. New Year's is a big holiday in Kaz!!!! Almost everything shuts down for a couple of days.
We were just a block away from Central Park. We spent a little time there on New Year's Day. Of course, Kobe loved it because there were lots of pigeons & of course Joby had to catch one. I loved it because Kobe got to sit on his first pony. He was more impressed with the pigeons than he was with the pony.

Church of St. Nicholas is a beautiful Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

Museum of Musical Instruments In Central Park

Glory Monument

On Friday, Jan 2nd in the afternoon we tried to call our driver but he didn't answer. Our traveling partners couldn't get in touch with him either. Later that night someone from the Sister's office called & told us that the driver wouldn't be back until Saturday evening. We didn't mind that the driver wanted off but we wished we would have been given a little advanced notice. It was like we were dropped off in Almaty & forgotten for 3 days. Of course, we know how to go with the flow so we made the best of it. We purchased another stroller & made daily walks to the grocery store, the park, & on Friday we went to the Green Bazaar. It was mostly clothes & hardware. I was really disappointed. Friday night we went to eat at Mad Murphy's Irish Pub. The wait staff spoke English & the food was okay.

On Saturday our traveling companions took a taxi & met us in the park. We went for lunch at a Pizza Parlor. The staff didn't speak any English so we did the best we could with our phrase books. A couple of times the waiter came with drinks/food that we didn't order but the food was good. Later, we went to the Tsum store. From the outside it doesn't look like much but it has lots of souvenirs from Kaz on the 3rd floor. You can talk some of the vendors down in price. It was my favorite place to shop!
Pizza Place

On Monday we went to the SOS clinic for Kobe's doctor appointment. It was funny when Lori & Dart walked in with Nina, I took one look at her & said hey I know you! We had never met in person but I had been following their blog before traveling to Kaz so I really felt like I knew them. Nina seemed so relaxed & happy. Kobe who is normally very happy to see people freaked out when the nurse went to take him. I still don't know what happened to cause him to react so emotionally. He loved the doctors at the baby house. He was crying so hard that he wet his pants through the diaper. We couldn't console him. It was sooo sad.
After our meeting we went to the Sister's office & had to notarize more documents & fill out the paperwork for the Embassy.

On Tuesday our driver decided to work so we went up the mountain with our traveling partners. We thought we were going to the Medeo Sports Complex but when we got there our driver told us it was closed for renovations. He was taking us to the Ski Resort. We stopped on the side of the mountain & took a few pictures. The views were gorgeous!!!!
The next part of the story is comical now but at the time is wasn't funny. Our driver asked if he could take a few runs down the mountain while we explored the Ski Resort. Joby had read that Almaty was going to be in the top 10 destinations for skiing by 2012. We thought we were going to a big resort. Well, it is very small & it only has a few slopes. Andrea asked the driver what time should we meet at the car & was told 2:00pm which was 3 hours later. We had to spend 3 hours with toddlers in a cafeteria. There was absolutely nothing to do except ski. We made the best of it & ordered a bottle of Vodka! Andrea really got mad when Joby said basically we are paying our driver to ski!!!!! The ride back down the mountain was a little tense to say the least.
I guess our driver felt bad & decided to take us to Koktobe. It was closed until 6pm that night. So we just went home.
Sports Complex

Joby, Kobe, Arman & Andrea

Wednesday was Christmas in Kaz so our driver was again off for the day. We decided to walk over to Gorky Park (Amusement Park)- A beautiful birch-shaded walking park with formal gardens and wooded glens, it cost 30 tenge to get in. There are vendors selling unique goods (on Sunday) that you won't find anywhere else. There are paddleboats, train rides, Ferris wheel, camel rides, a zoo, etc. It was a few blocks from our apartment. Our driver had recommended that it was the best tourist destination in Almaty. Maybe if the weather had been warmer it would have been great but most of the rides were closed because it was so cold. The only thing opened was the inside Water Park which we skipped.

Across from our apartment was a Japanese Restaurant. We asked our driver if it had an English menu but he didn't know. One late afternoon we decided to check it out. Not only did it have an English menu but the food was great!!! It was the best meal we had in Kazakhstan. We highly recommend it!!!! They even do take out.

On Thursday we had our appointment with the US Embassy. It only took 5 minutes!!! We took the gondola ride up to Kobtobe. This is the one thing that I highly recommend that everyone do while in Almaty. You must pay for the ride up & the ride down separately. We could have spent at least half a day there. There are a couple of places to eat but they may be a little pricey according to our travel companions but they did have chicken nuggets & FF. You can also go at night. There are a few rides, shops, & a petting zoo. The views of the mountain are well worth it!!!!

Sunset at Kobtobe

We ate at the Pizza place across from the Kazakhstan hotel. It has an English menu & our waitress spoke English. The food was okay.
We also ate lunch one day at a small place that said Italian Buffet on the sign. We thought we were going to a buffet but it turned out that Buffet was the name of the restaurant. The meal was terrible but the dessert was good! The waiter did speak English but the menu was in Russian.

I really want to go back to Almaty when the weather is warmer. There were a few museums & tourist attractions that I would like to check out. Our traveling companions told us that Astana had a few museums & places of interest so I would also like to travel there next time.
In Almaty we were stopped several times by older men & women who reprimanded us about Kobe not being covered up. He would constantly pull off his hat or gloves & they would let us know about it. No one in Karaganda ever said anything to us about him.
Also the women in Karaganda dressed much nicer. All the women in Almaty weren't in high heel boots :)
We were nervous about what our apartment would be like in Almaty. Our coordinator had told us that some of them were terrible & we may want to opt for a hotel. The hotel we stayed in on our first visit wasn't nice at all. The foyer was fancy but the rooms smelled & the beds were the worst in Kaz. We didn't know what to do but decided to take a chance on the apartment. We would have loved to have been able to call out from our phone but that was really the only complaint we had about our apartment in Almaty. Our traveling companions stayed in an apartment near the Ramstore on the other side of town & they said their apartment in Karaganda was nicer than the one in Almaty. I guess it is just a chance you take.
I think we would have enjoyed Almaty much more if we hadn't been in Kaz for so long. We were just ready to go home!!!!!

First Time At The Beach......

2009-02-05T09:43:00.009-05:00

Last Sunday after church we went to the beach. The wind was blowing a little but it was warm outside. Kobe wanted to try & catch the seagulls. He thinks his daddy is a bird catcher. It may have something to do with the pigeons in Karaganda but my boy likes birds!!!!! He didn't seem too impressed with the sand but he has plenty of time to learn to love it.
I can't wait for beach weather. Yesterday it snowed here again :(
What is up with the weather? Normally I would be excited about snow but after 9 weeks in Kaz I want spring to come. Whatever happened to global warming??????

Hanging out......

2009-02-01T09:40:00.005-05:00

Gabe says that Kobe is his brother:)

Kobe's first tractor ride. Kobe is a daddy's boy!!!!!!

Kobe's new best friend,"Cowboy"

Kobe is adjusting very well to life in Wanchese. He is sleeping better than he did in Kaz. He isn't eating much because he doesn't want to sit still. He also likes to share everything with the dogs especially his food. He likes to take a bite of food, let one of them take a bite, & then he takes another bite. Mom isn't happy about all the sharing of food & is banning the dogs from the kitchen.
Kobe loves people!!!! He is the happiest whenever he can see lots of people. He gets a little bored being home with just mom. He went & helped daddy with work all last week since Grandmom & Granddad were out of town.(Joby & Kobe played boss) It sounded to me like they were the errand boys but whatever they were doing it involved seeing people so Kobe was happy!!!!!

Are we back in Kaz??????

2009-01-24T09:28:00.010-05:00

It rarely snows on the OBX & actually lays on the ground. We thought we were coming home to warmer weather. We thought wrong:) We never thought Kobe would use his snowsuit once we were home.
Joby & Kylie made a snowman & Kobe supervised!!!!!

Who wants to be normal???????

2009-01-19T08:37:00.016-05:00

It has been a busy week. I think we have stayed at home only 1 day since arriving home. It took us about 3 days to get adjusted to the time change. Kobe was up the first 3 nights from 1-5am but on Tuesday we had to travel to the pediatrician in Virginia & we were on the go all day. It must of exhausted him because he slept all night. Since then he sleeps 9-10 straight hours each night. It doesn't seem to matter what time we put him down. I prefer 9pm-7am but it doesn't always work out. The pediatrician was surprised at how many English words Kobe has learned. It broke my heart when they had to draw blood from him. He wasn't a happy camper:(

Joby showed off his boy one afternoon which gave me a chance to unpack & get things almost back to order around home. Kobe is so friendly that he goes to almost everyone as long as he can see Mom or Dad.

Kobe & I went walking with the stroller & my dad told me it was too cold to have Kobe out. I explained that we have been walking in Kaz in freezing weather. I think it was 40 here that day. Kobe didn't even need gloves on his hands. It felt wonderful to be able to walk around familiar surroundings & Kobe loves his stroller!!!!!!!!

Yesterday we went to Church for the first time with Kobe. Last Sunday we hadn't slept enough to go. Kobe was really good. His big sister stayed with him in the nursery after children's time. Kylie is really good with him. Everyone was anxious to meet him & very supportive about our adoption.

It has been a great week!!!!! I am ready to have things back to normal. Whoops, I forgot.... thanks to typhoon Kobe things aren't going back to normal. Oh well, who really wants to be normal??????

HOME SWEET HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-12T14:03:00.010-05:00

We arrived home at 4am on Saturday morning. We left Almaty at 8:30 am & arrived in Raleigh at 8:35 am Kaz time or 9:35pm NC time. Honestly, we expected the return flight to be a nightmare. We had worried about it the entire time we were in Kaz. How would we keep Kobe happy? He likes to be loud when he is happy & extremely loud when he is unhappy!!!!
The driver picked up us at 6am. Joby & I didn't sleep much all night. We had to wake Kobe up to get him ready. When we arrived at the airport, it took us one hour to check in because none of the staff at KLM knew how to process Kobe's lap ticket. We were afraid that we were going to miss our flight. They only fly out of Almaty every other day so we would have to spend 2 more days in Almaty. Joby was starting to panic. Finally they figured it out & we made it just about the time they started to board. The flight from Almaty to Amsterdam was almost 7 hours. Kobe did get loud several times but he took a 2 hour nap which helped everyone around us.

We were suppose to have a 3 hour layover in Amsterdam but we were 40 minutes late getting there because the plane needed to de-ice. We headed to the McDonald's to get a hamburger & FF. It was weird because we rarely ever eat at McDonald's but we were so excited to get a Quarter Pounder with Cheez & FF. We got Kobe chicken nuggets & FF but he wouldn't eat the nuggets. Next we headed for our gate & thought we would go get juice & H2O after we got settled but they were already checking everyone in at the gate. So we went thru security again & had to wait for 30-40 minutes standing in another room. It was standing room only!!! We just knew that the plane was going to be full because of all of the people. Our seats were in the middle of the middle row. We thought we were going to have someone sitting on each side of us. Kobe was going to pick on someone the entire flight. We were not looking forward to this flight at all!!! The flight from Amsterdam to Memphis was going to be 9 hours long. We boarded the plan first because we had Kobe. We were praying that one of the outside seats would be vacant. We were so lucky because we were on Row 13 & not only were the aisle seats next to us vacant but the aisle seats on each window side of us were also vacant. I guess no one wanted to sit on aisle 13. The plane was almost full. The seat directly behind our assigned seats were also vacant. It was like we had our own private oasis!!!!!! Kobe slept for 2 hours after take off & also for 2 hours before landing. He did get loud for about an hour in the middle. He wasn't screaming just making lots of noise. There was a family in front of us with 4 kids so they really made him look good:)
We arrived in Memphis & Kobe became a US citizen. We had to pick up our luggage & check it back in which didn't make any sense to me. We didn't leave the airport or even the secure area. We did have enough time to pick up a few snacks & change Kobe's clothes. He got a chance to stretch his legs & get some of his energy out:)
By now we were getting tired & our next plane was going to be small. Our assigned seats were not together because the plane was too full. We just knew that our anticipated nightmare was getting ready to begin. We were assigned window seats in Row 1 & 2. As soon as we boarded the steward informed me that Kobe couldn't sit in Row 1 so he would move us after everyone boarded. A nice man beside Joby in Row 2 offered to change seats with me so we could be together. He could have been just super nice or maybe he was worried because Kobe was loudly greeting everyone coming on board. The seats were really close together & everyone around us was anticipating it being a long loud flight. Kobe was so exhausted from greeting everyone that he was asleep as soon as we started to go down the runway. He slept the entire 2 hours & even Mom took a little nap. Our typhoon is a great traveler. We never expected him to do so well!!!!!!!!!!

When we arrived in Raleigh, Joby had to wait for the stroller & several people stopped to tell us how great Kobe was during the flight. It was so nice to be back in NC. We were the last people to walk down towards the baggage area. A security guard let us take a short cut because we had the stroller. Our greeting committee was waiting for us to come off the escalator & starting to worry that we had missed our flight but we came from a different direction. We saw them before they saw us!!!!!!!!!

We felt so loved. They were holding ballons, a poster & flowers but all we saw were the people we loved waiting for us. Kobe went straight to his sister. He was so excited to see everyone but he really made over Kylie. It was like he knew her!!!!!

We all hopped into a 15 passenger van & headed to my cousin's house which is about 10-15 minutes away from the airport. Carrie Lee is the sister I never had. It was 10 pm in North Carolina time & we had a party. Of course, to us it was 9am in Kaz time so we were fine. Kobe was a happy camper!!!! Finally when I realized it was 11:30 pm we loaded up & headed for home. We were a little cramped in the van with all the luggage but everyone was just soooo happy it didn't seem to matter.

Kobe was exhausted again from playing with the kids so he slept most of the way home. We arrived in Wanchese at 3:30 am & our entire neighborhood knew we were home because Joby had to light a few fireworks. It was 5:30 am before we finally went to bed. We have never been so happy to be in our home & especially to be in our own bed. It felt amazing!!!!!!!! The beds in Kazakhstan really suck!!!!!!!!!!!!

Typhoon Kobe is a happy boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Are Alive & Well in Almaty

2009-01-05T03:02:00.005-05:00

We arrived in Almaty on the 31st at 2am in the morning. We can't call out from our phone at the apartment so we don't even have dial up. The internet cafe won't let us use our own computers or download pictures so I will catch up once we are home. We are scheduled to leave on Jan 11th but are hoping to change our flights & maybe leave on Jan 9th.

We met Nina & her mom Lori & dad Dart at the SOS clinic today. Nina is beautiful!!!!! Kobe was not a happy camper when the nurse tried to take him from us to weigh & measure him. He cried!!!!!!!! I think he thought we were going to leave him.

We have lots of great pictures & stories!!! Check out the post for February 7th for tips on Almaty.

Home Sweet Home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!!

2008-12-25T03:05:00.004-05:00

We did get the best Christmas present, our little typhoon Kobe. He has such a great personality. If we were home in Wanchese, then everything would be perfect!!! We miss our family & friends. We miss all of our traditions! We miss home!!!!

Free at last.....

2008-12-20T22:15:00.010-05:00

We went to town with Kobe yesterday!!!!!!!!!!

We had so much fun. Kobe loved all the noise from the buses & cars. We took pictures outside of City Mall. They have decorated for Christmas. Then we shopped at the Tsum mall & ran into Andrea & Arman. Arman is not quite a year old yet & wasn't in the same room at the baby house but we played together in the playroom at the baby house. We all went to lunch at Mario's Pizza. Kobe was good. He sat on Joby's knee & even ate a little pizza crust. Then we went shopping for a stroller. Things are expensive here & made very cheap. We picked the cheapest stroller because we are only planning to use it here. It cost 10000 tenge which isn't quite $100.00 but on the way home the tire fell off. Thank goodness Joby could fix it with our multi-tool.

We do not know if we are officially allowed in town yet. No one has told us but we figured ignorance is the best defense & we really had a great day. Our 15 days are up but we won't get the official decision from the judge until Monday or Tuesday. We are not sure if we were suppose to wait until we receive the decision or if we just had to wait the 15 days.

I guess ya'll have figured out by now that I have a tendency to break the rules every now & then:) In my defense, we aren't really breaking the rules just interpreting them to our benefit.

Update

We went to town yesterday. Kobe fell asleep half way there so we went to Johnny Walker's for a salad & FF. Kobe slept until we were finished eating. It was much colder out yesterday. On the way home, Joby bent the axle on the stroller. Not bad in 2 days we have lost a tire & bent an axle. I am not sure it is going to last until we get to Almaty. It could be the Carolina Blue color is bringing us Duke Fans bad luck. We watched the Duke & Carolina basketball games on TV this weekend in Russian:)

Counting Down the Days Again...

2008-12-15T23:13:00.004-05:00

We are being held hostage in our apartment until Saturday:( It is much more difficult than I thought it would be. We sneak out at least once each day. Kobe says bye bye at least 10 times each day. He is going stir crazy!!!! He loves his snowsuit because it means we are going out. Sometimes we go over to the small grocery store & ride around in the shopping cart for fun. See how desperate we have become for entertainment!!!!

Friday is the last day of our 15 day waiting period so we are planning to go to town on Saturday. I don't know who will be more excited. Kobe loves to walk around & just look at the trees & the birds. I can't imagine how excited he will be to see Christmas lights.

Kobe has started biting Joby all the time. At the baby house, all the kids bit each other. Once in a while he will try to bite me but he is much more aggressive with Joby. Does anyone have any advice?

Hanging out.......

2008-12-10T01:48:00.014-05:00

I realized how little information I had included while in Karaganda so I have added the following information & hope that it helps. The most important advice that I could give is just "go with the flow & be like a leaf in a stream." Things are often done last minute but they always get done. Don't stress!
Things change in Kaz, so some of this info could be outdated when you travel. This info was up-to-date Nov.2008-Jan 2009 when we traveled to adopt Kobe from the Botakoz Baby House. Info was gathered from several sources & personal knowledge.

Karaganda Restaurants
Café Karaganda - across from City Mall. Food is cheap. Cheeseburgers have an odd texture that I didn’t care for, but fried potatoes were good. Chicken or Beef with vegetables & a side of rice, potatoes, or French fries seemed to be favorite dishes. Free wireless internet. Big screen TV plays music videos & majority of music is in English. The staff understood a little English but there were no menus in English.

Assorti - On the top floor of City Mall. It is more expensive than Mario’s but they had a nice variety of pasta, pizza, ethnic food, etc. It had an English menu.

Johnny Walkers Pub – can be rather expensive but had a lunch discount. French Fries were almost American. The large Greek Salad & the club sandwich were good. Staff understood English very well & they also had an English menu.

Mario’s Pizza - the first few times it was great but after 6 weeks it was just okay  They have good salads. No English menu.

Shenat. Ukranian restaurant - Try the beef stew in a pot or the beef goulash. The bread croutons on the table were tasty too. We went out with our interpreter & coordinator to celebrate success at Court. It wasn’t one of our favorite restaurants but it seemed to be popular with most American’s. It had 1 English menu.

Leila’s - We celebrated Thanksgiving here. After 9pm they had a band. It had a great noodle soup, good chicken dish, & a spicy beef dish. The side orders were enough for 2. The staff understood English a little bit.

Tea House - most expensive meal we ate in Karaganda. It was great! We ate lunch there to celebrate our Anniversary. They had a great dessert made with Kahlua.

Restaurant in middle of City Mall - very convenient & reasonable. They had an English menu. They had a great salad. Dressing came with Mayo, Sour Cream, or oil & vinegar.

Misc.
If you want regular water, order “voda bez gas” (water without gas).

Non-smoking sections in restaurants seem to be rare. Be prepared if you have allergies.

Most restaurants bring a cold glass & a cold drink. A few had ice but don’t expect it.

Alcohol comes in pints & juice comes in pitchers. You can mix several drinks yourself.

Gratuities of 10% are included in the check at most places.

Grocery stores –
Ramstore is a large, western-style grocery store located in the City Mall. They accept VISA/MC credit cards. You can purchase their inexpensive membership card for a few tenge during the first visit for savings over time. You must check all packages, computers, cameras etc. in before entering. You must deposit a quarter to use the shopping cart but you get it back at the end of your visit. If you take it out to the parking lot, be prepared for someone to follow you. Although the in-country staff will tend to steer you to the larger stores for convenience, when the staff is off-duty, don't hesitate to use smaller local stores (they're everywhere) for necessities. Most of the time, the smaller grocery stores are cheaper. There are usually several security guards located in every store. They will watch you closely & talk with each other on walkie talkies.
Shkolnik market is located across from the baby house is especially convenient. It consists of many small stalls crowded together within a larger building, but you can get just about anything you need -- from groceries to tools to clothes to hardware to cell phone minutes to small appliances. There is a well-stocked baby store in the back, and an ATM machine out front. The cart in the parking lot has great rotisserie chicken. We often purchased an extra one & used it for tacos or sandwiches. Not much English was spoken or understood here so be prepared with a phrase book or take your interpreter.
Staples like bottled water (in 5L bottles), butter, bread, juice, and common vegetables are very inexpensive. Specialty items and processed foods generally cost more than expected. If you like deli foods, I would recommend buying salami-style sausage in 200g increments and cheese in 100g increments. This will give you enough for 1-2 days of sandwiches or snacks without it going bad. Good grocery store bets: fresh pizza (Ramstore bakery); whole roasted chicken or pretzel-pizzas (deli counters); fresh loaves of bread (will go bad in about 2 days); yogurt (many varieties); and milk or juice in 1L boxes. We didn’t find Peanut Butter, anything ready made like Mac & Cheese, or nabs. Lots of varieties of Potato Chips!

Shopping
Shopping for anything other than food can be done at Tsum. It is also a good place for souvenirs as well, but will have to carry them back to Almaty. Some things were cheaper in Karaganda than in Almaty. Most of the store keepers could understand some English at the Tsum. Also, you could bargain at a few of the shops. Children clothes & toys are expensive.

Apartments in Karaganda
The apartments in Karaganda are fine, not home, but they will serve your needs while there. Be prepared, like all apartments in all regions, they are not much to look at from the outside, somewhat scary actually. On the inside though they are fine and they are all in safe areas of town. Take your slippers because some of the carpets are very dirty. Be prepared to walk up several flights of stairs as most of the apartments are on the 5th, 6th, or higher floors. NOTE: Be aware that most of the apartments have balconies, and a lot of the railings are unsafe for children, especially if they have never been on a balcony. So be aware of this, and keep the youngsters away!
All of the apartments have standard RJ-11 telephone jacks and the electric outlets are for 2 round prongs. You will need a voltage converter for this trip, but not the kits they sell with them for extra money. All of the outlets have the round prongs that all of the converters have as standard. Be aware that some converters do not have an “extension” on them and will not work in the outlets because the outlets are indented by about a half an inch into the wall. Most converters will have a slight extension on them allowing you to plug it into a recessed outlet such as you will encounter in Kazakhstan, make sure the one you buy has this or you will be buying another one in Kazakhstan. It is probably a good idea to buy two as well as carrying some extra fuses with you. So if you plan on using a lot of appliances you may want to purchase more than one.

How to dress
You will find most if not all the Kazakhs dressed extremely well, some are really trying hard to make a fashion statement!! Feel free to dress however you like, jeans and shorts are perfectly acceptable for both Mom and Dad. It is recommend you bringing clothing that is easily cleaned, basically wash and wear. It may take 2 hours to wash your clothes in the washing machine & you must hang them on a line to dry. You are not there to make a fashion statement and no one will think twice if you wear the same clothing several times during your stay. Our coordinator wore jeans every day to the Baby House. Most of the ladies on the street were in high heeled boots & shoes even in snow.
Items that can be hand washed and hung out to dry are best suited for this trip. You will need one nice outfit for court, the rest of the time - casual is the rule of the day. When you are out with your child please know that babies are definitely public property in Kazakhstan. People will be telling you to put a hat on and cover your child with a blanket, it is important that you do!!

Please KEEP YOUR CHILD COVERED anywhere outside of your apartment!! Even in the upper 70's you will see babies in snowsuits! The Kazakhs take great offense to you not doing this, please respect their culture. Several times we were approached because our son’s hat or scarf had come off in Almaty. No one ever said anything in Karaganda.

Internet Access - There are several cafes with high speed access all fairly close together. The best one is about a block from Mario Pizza on the opposite side of the road. They will even take the time to hook up your laptop if you choose to bring one. The cost is very reasonable for access time & for technical support if you need it.
Nursat pre-paid dial up service is very slow, but generally reliable and inexpensive. Be sure your modem has a built-in modem, as many newer models do not. If not, external USB modems are available inexpensively. Also bring a long (20'-30') phone extension cable, as your apartment's phone jack may be a long way from where you want to use your computer.

Social Worker Interview- At some point between meeting your child and applying for court, you will meet with the Karaganda social workers. This is done in a government building about 10 minutes from the Baby House and all the Karaganda adoptive families converge on that building at the same time (there’s a 2nd baby house in Karaganda near the airport). When it was our turn to go in, we met with a team of two social workers.
We (our interpreter and us) sat down and the Q&A session began. It all went well and it turned out to be a pretty smooth process.
Questions they asked included: finances, professions, day care arrangements, questions concerning other children in your house, education plans for children. The social workers talked between themselves while our interpreter was asking the questions or interpreting answers. It seemed like there was more than one conversation going on at a time.

Notary - Before you go to court, you will visit the notary. She will need your passport and you will sign a number of papers and verify your personal information. Not a big deal, but it sometimes takes an hour or so. Always carry some granola bars/quick snacks in your bag that you carry to the Baby House -- you never know when you may have a "quick" errand during your lunch break that may not include lunch! We actually found out info about our child during this visit. His parent’s names were listed on one of the documents & we saw his given middle name for the first time.

Passport Photo - At some point during your trip, a photographer will come to the Baby house and take your child’s photo for their passport. You will pay the photographer about $20 in tenge for the photos. You are usually told a day or so in advance but again, always carry $20 in tenge in your bag that you take to the Baby House. Also, carry your passports with you to the Baby House every day.

Court - You may get less than 24 hours notice of your court appointment so be prepared for court as soon as the 2 week bonding period is up. Both the mother and father will give speeches in court. There seems to be a constant changing of judges. The court room will be closed & the only people allowed in will be the Judge, his secretary, the prosecutor, the attorney representing you, your interpreter, & the baby house doctor & a social worker.
You will be asked questions by the prosecutor, the judge & the attorney representing you.
The Baby house doctor also gave a speech about our interaction with our son at the baby house. You will need photos showing your bonding period & it should include photos of feeding, changing, & playing. We were not required to have a stamped picture on our photos. You also need 10- 12 photos of your home life to show the judge.

Park - We walked from the Baby House to Town through the Park one Sunday afternoon. Since we were only allowed one visit on Sundays, we had the entire afternoon free. It took us about 30 minutes.

Gifts - Do not stress about them because we didn't even see most of the people open our gifts!

You will need 3 doctor gifts. (They are all ladies & you may only see one or two of them but you must have 3 gifts. They can be the same or all different.)

1 gift for the judge (man)
1 gift for the judge’s secretary
1 gift for the lawyer who is a man & loves unique flashlights

1 gift for the director
1 gift for the coordinator
1 gift for the translator
1 gift for the driver

We had to have 6 caregiver gifts but our travel partners needed 10 so I think it depends on which room you are visiting :)

One day down.....

2008-12-06T06:20:00.003-05:00

We picked Kobe up from the baby house at our morning visit on Friday. Oxana wrote down his schedule, we changed his clothes, took some pictures, & packed up. We gave Natasha the donations from 2 Hearts of Hope. We were hoping to meet the director but I think she may still be on vacation. We didn't give the caregivers their gifts. We are going to wait until the waiting period is up & go back for a visit & have a party!!!!!
We can't take Kobe out shopping or to the big mall or the big grocery store during the waiting period. We have to hang out in our neighborhood & in our apartment which is small.
Kobe was good for the car ride. He hummed a little & looked out the window at all the other cars & people. Joby fixed him cabbage soup with potatoes & carrots. He took a 2 hour nap in the afternoon then he said BYE BYE. He was ready to go but we have no where to go for the next 2 weeks. We played & played & played!!!!
He did not like taking a bath so we cut it short & will try again tomorrow to see if it will be more fun. He did poop on his potty 2 times. Oxana didn't put his potty schedule down so we aren't sure when we are suppose to take a potty break. We don't want to over do it but so far so good!!! He is so cute sitting on his potty reading his book.
He really fights sleep so it took us about 20 minutes to get him down. We didn't want to just lay him in the crib because we were afraid he would get upset so I rocked him in my arms all around the room until he fell asleep. We were so worried that he was going to wake up & not know where he was sleeping that Joby & I were both up most of the night. Kobe was fine! He slept from 8pm until 7am. We heard him rolling around in the crib talking so I went & picked him up. I will have to say that our first night went much better than we expected!!!!!!

I can't post pictures from the apartment so I will add them once I go out to town which will probably be Monday.

We Have A Son!!!!!!

2008-12-04T10:48:00.005-05:00

The judge said Yes!!!!!!!

Joby & I were both so nervous. Joby forgot half of his speech & I cried through most of mine. Our attorney asked the tough questions because he knew that Joby had forgot to say a lot of his speech. The prosecutor was very fair with her questions & even waved bye to us on the way out of the courthouse at the end of the day. The judge asked us a few questions about how we would treat Kobe as our son. Would we educate him & cover him with health insurance. There was a discussion about Kobe's medical records & then there was a lot of laughter from everyone in the court room except us. We didn't know what was going on. The judge remarked that he thought Kobe was Kazakh & Russian mixed but his birth certificate was marked Russian. Then he asked the doctor if he had a mongolian spot. She said no so he said I thought he was Kazakh mixed. Our attorney who is Kazakh then replied that his son didn't have a mongolian spot either so the judge told the attorney that he needed to make sure that his son belonged to him. I guess everyone thought it was funny!!!!!

The judge told us to leave the courtroom for 5 minutes & when we returned he said Kobe Ansell Beasley was our son!!!!!

We pick him up tomorrow from the baby house. We have to stay in Karaganda for 15 days with him at our apartment. One more night before he will be with us!!!!!

OMGosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-03T21:14:00.004-05:00

When we were leaving our afternoon visit, Natasha got a phone call from the attorney. We have Court this afternoon!!!!!

Now we are nervous although everyone who has gone before the new judge says he is very unconcerned & doesn't ask questions. PRAY FOR US!!!!!!!!!!!1

Oxana told us that if the prosecutor asks us a question & we don't know how to answer it then we just say that the weather is nice outside & she will answer it for us. I told her that I would probably say I am freezing my butt off here because the weather stinks & someone in the court would know what butt meant.

If all goes well today then we can bring Kobe back to the apartment with us for the next 15 days. I am not sure if he is ready but we sure are:)

Typhoon Kobe?????

2008-12-01T02:17:00.006-05:00

Stairs in Baby House

I can't wait to get to Wanchese where I don't have to wear shoes or socks!!!

We had our meeting with the Social Workers on Friday. They asked us several questions. They wanted to know if we lived in a dangerous place. They were worried about Typhoons. The only Typhoon we are worried about is named Kobe but we didn’t tell them that. We told them we had a little wind & tide once in a while. We passed so now Natasha can schedule our court date.

Typhoon Kobe has been a little moody this weekend. If he thinks we don't want him to do something then that is all he can think about doing. He has been hitting himself in the head with toys. He has small bruises on his forehead. Whenever we say no or nyet he laughs & smiles & hits himself again.
The doctor has said we can let him sleep but the caregivers aren't happy about it so we are trying to keep him awake & he isn’t happy about it. He has had a fever for a day or two but it wasn’t high enough for them to give him medicine. He is laughing & smiling one minute & whining the next. He has just been miserable. We just want to take him home & get him on his own schedule. We were hoping to go to Court early but it doesn't look like it is going to happen. We think the caregivers are ready for us to go to Court also. The other children in Kobe’s room want us to hold them. Sometimes they sneak away & come into our little play area. Joby has become attached to a set of twins. They both love him. The other day the girl came & held both of his cheeks in her hands & kissed him. At first they would bite or hit him. They are a year older than Kobe. Oxana thinks they will be adopted soon although they have a minor medical issue. I really hope their mama & papa shows up soon because Joby has fallen for them!!!!

I will add pictures later because they won't load from our apartment:(

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

2008-11-27T01:55:00.005-05:00

The weather has been better here this week. It hasn’t snowed in 5-6 days. Of course, better is 32-35 degrees instead of 0 degrees. We have been walking around exploring in our spare time. Everything is relatively close here. If we were here in Spring or Fall it would almost be nice. Yesterday I even wore my regular tennis shoes & I didn’t bust my butt!!!
We were told yesterday by our favorite caregiver that we have already spoiled Kobe. He wouldn’t go down for his afternoon nap. He wanted her to hold him & kept putting his arms out for her to pick him up. Wow, that took us about 2 weeks to make him rotten.

When we met with Dr. Love, the baby house doctor, she gave us his medical info but also she gave us info on his sleep patterns, his disposition, & normal everyday behavior. It was nice because it helped us know how he normally reacts to situations. He is very expressive. If he is happy, then he is smiling & laughing, sometimes he babbles. If something isn’t going his way, well then, he lets us know by whining & sticking out his bottom lip or just crying loudly. Dr. Love told us he was very determined, which in Wanchese means stubborn. He loves to do something he thinks he isn’t suppose to do. Yesterday, we let him sit on the end table in the playroom & he was grinning from ear to ear. He really thought he was getting by with something.
We are trying not to let him sleep during our visits now. It is very difficult because he is so tired after an hour. Yesterday we sneaked him into the playroom downstairs to play in the ball pit. After about 15 minutes he started waving bye bye. He was ready to go!!!!

We are waiting for a meeting with the social worker. Hopefully we will hear something today. Some have told us the social worker was harder than court & others have told us the social worker was no problem. We are hoping for the no problems. We have a new judge & so far everyone that has been before him has had it easy. He didn’t even ask the Spanish couple any questions. Hey, that would be fine by us!!!!!!

We hope everyone has a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

Look how cute I am in my hats ......thanks Margaret Joy!!!!!

2008-11-24T03:26:00.017-05:00

We have been here for 2 weeks now & we have kinda established a routine. We have started sleeping on the couch which folds out like a futon. It is much better than the bed. We get up around 7:30-8:00 & have coffee & cheese toast. Then we take showers & start packing our bags for the day. We usually take one bag of clothes, diapers, bottles, etc. & one bag of toys to the baby house. The driver picks us up at 9:45. We visit from 10-12. Usually Kobe is tired in the morning & wants a nap after we give him a bottle of juice. Then we play for at least 30-40 minutes which makes him tired again. I guess we play hard!!!! Then we feed him. You won’t believe how much he eats. He is tiny but he eats more than we do. It is always soup & then a meal plus juice. He drinks the juice from a regular coffee cup. He loves his juice!!!

We leave the baby house & go to lunch. Karaganda Café has wireless internet & decent meals but terrible hamburgers. Joby usually gets meat with vegetables & rice & I order chicken with vegetables & French Fries. At the mall, there is a place we sometimes get a salad. Most days we pick up a few things from the grocery store. If we want to use a shopping cart then we must deposit a coin & then you get it back when you return the cart. Also, you can’t carry any bags into the grocery store. We must check them in at the front. There is a guard who won’t let you in if you are carrying any bags even a computer bag. After shopping we walk home which is about 10-15 minutes. It is much easier to walk when it has snowed because the snow is powdery. When the snow starts to melt it turns icy & we slip & slide all the way home hoping we won’t bust our butts!!!! Then we have about an hour to do stuff in the apartment before our driver picks us up for the afternoon visit.

Kobe is normally ready to go in the afternoon. He just gets up from a nap at 3:30 & we get him at 4:00. He isn’t afraid of trying anything. Joby & him play rough. Kobe just loves it!!!! He doesn’t have much strength in his legs. He wants to climb on everything & uses his head to balance. Every day he bumps his head on at least one thing. If he is upset he fusses or screams but most of the time he is smiling & laughing. He goes to daddy when he wants to be rough & he comes to Mama when he wants to cuddle. He tries to bite Joby. He isn’t as rough with me. We saw bite marks on his ear the first day & Oxana says all the kids bite each other. Sashca is the blonde haired little boy who a Spanish couple are adopting. He is 19 months old but is about the same height as Kobe. He tries to bite Joby almost everyday. He loves to dance & we call him Stevie Wonder because he rocks his head back & forth with his eyes closed. Kobe & Sascha were moved up together in September to Room #8 . They play together most of the time very well. Once in a while they will try to steal each other’s toys. They both love music.

Right now there are 2 couples from the US, 1 couple & 1 single lady from Spain, 1 French couple & 1 single French lady, a Belgium couple, and a German couple. Everyone can speak a little English. All of the interpreters speak English. We think it must be confusing for the kids to hear so many languages but they all seem okay with it. Kobe will go to the Spanish people & the other kids will come to us. Some of the older kids have very sad stories. One little boy was found half starved. His mother had died with him in their house & no one knew. They aren’t for sure how long he was there alone with her dead. Another little girl was abandoned & they have guessed at her age. They say she is 3 but she looks like she is 5. She is very energetic & can sing really well. Some of the kids in Kobe’s room have special needs. One little boy doesn’t have a ear. They are so sad!!!! Some of them will call for us when we go in & some of them will cry if we speak to them. Most of them are getting familiar with us & will let us pick them up. The caregivers really have a hard job. We want to help them but sometimes I think we make it harder on the caregivers when we try to play with the kids. It is just so hard not to pick them up & try to show them attention. Today they had rock music on in Kobe’s room & all the kids were dancing. Kobe went to sleep on my shoulder while we were dancing. They say he has a hard time getting to sleep but so far we seem to know just how to do it. I hope he is this easy when we have him here at the apartment!!!!!

Pretty in Pink!!!!!!

2008-11-22T01:34:00.006-05:00

I am sorry about not posting every day. We only have dial up at our apartment & I get frustrated waiting on it. I can't get on at the mall so Karaganda Cafe is the only place we eat that has wireless.
Joby & I both have colds:( I think we got it from Kobe. He is almost over his. We still visit even if we are sick because alot of the kids have colds & are on medicine. We haven't been able to go to the big playroom because some of the older kids tore down the blinds a couple of days ago. Kobe goes a little stir crazy in the small playroom so we take him outside for 15-20 minutes. He is going to be so mad at us 10 years from now when he sees the pictures of him in a pink snowsuit but it was what they gave us. His was back at the apartment! He was very serious while we were outside the first day. Maybe he was upset with us for putting him in pink!!!!

2008-11-20T01:31:00.006-05:00

Weekend Pictures

2008-11-17T02:05:00.011-05:00

Saturday's visits
Kobe is so happy playing in the ball pit. After 15 or 20 minutes of playing he is so tired that he wants a nap. He didn't take a cat nap in the morning because we had to have his picture taken for his passport. By the end of the visit he didn't want to eat his lunch because he was so tired. We didn't get any pictures of him being grumpy.

Sunday's visit
I am so thankful that we get one visit on Sunday because the older children don't get any visits on Sunday. He slept for about 20 minutes & then we played. He was in a good mood after his cat nap.

Here is what you have been waiting for.....

2008-11-15T02:39:00.009-05:00

The first day
Now

My agency requested that I not post any pictures until after the 15 day waiting period & as you can see I have decided to ignore their request. I want to share our happiness with our family & friends. If you are reading this then I consider you either family or friend.

Yesterday was day 6 of visiting. Kobe had to get his picture taken for his passport in the morning so he couldn't take his usual cat nap on my shoulder. He was so tired at the end of the visit that he didn't eat all of his lunch.
In the afternoon, he was ready to go again. We went to the playroom downstairs & had it to ourselves for an entire hour. By then he was tired again & just watched the big kids run around & play. The big kids are 4-5 years old. We changed our first poopy diaper so I am pretty sure he isn't potty trained yet. I was really hoping he would be more like Leeza Grace & need his potty.

Day 5 of Bonding & Each Day Just Gets Better!!!!!!

2008-11-14T08:50:00.002-05:00

Kobe is getting better each day with us. He is a ham!!!! He just grins & smiles & loves to give us kisses with his mouth wide open. He will now go to Joby almost as much as he comes to me. This morning he played with us for about 15 minutes & then he took a nap in my lap for about an hour. The caregivers here in Karaganda have been cool so far. They don't mind if he sleeps & they don't really care what clothes we put on him as long as he is warm. He has 3 different caregivers who rotate every third day & they work 12 hour shifts. They have a teaching degree according to our interpeter Oxana. The caregivers get help from the nannies. Usually the nannies stay all night. Most of the time there are at least 2 women in his room. I brought mostly shirts like onesies that snap at the bottom because I read how funny the caregivers are about having any skin exposed. Well Kobe's caregivers say the snaps are uncomfortable & use just regular shirts.

During our afternoon visit Kobe was a wild man. He went into the ball pit for the first time & loved it. He was full of energy & just wanted to move. He is teething so everything is going into his mouth. He is happy to see us now but also happy to go back to his room. The baby house is very clean & a happy environment. The walls are colorful. Going up the steps to his room, the walls are painted with the 7 dwarfs. It always smells like they are cooking.

We have been able to buy everything that we have needed so far. Our apartment is about a 10 minute walk from the Ram Store. The only complaint I have is about the food. I am a picky fat girl & since I have been dieting for the last year on the South Beach diet it has been difficult to find something good here to eat. I have ate more bread & pasta in the last five days than I ate the entire last year. I will be the only person to gain weight while in Kaz. Oh well, my kazi boy is worth it!!!!!

I am still having problems posting pictures but hopefully tomorrow I can get it fixed. I truly want you to see my beautiful boy!!!! The Spanish Couple who we share the playroom with told us he looks like Keanu Reeves. Joby doesn't think so but it was a nice compliment.

Sorry to keep you waiting....

2008-11-11T01:40:00.009-05:00

We have arrived & made it to Karaganda but we are having technical difficulties!!!

We have met our Kazi boy:) He is beautiful!!!!!!

This has been an adventure, for sure. Our flights went better than expected. I don't really like to fly. We spent the day in Amsterdam but passed on sightseeing because we were experiencing jet lag. We arrived in Almaty on Sunday at 6am & went to the hotel for a couple of hours. Later we met with the sisters who are the Kaz coordinators for WPA. They were really cool about us staying the entire time & also said Kylie could come whenever she wanted. I will say everyone we meet speaks more than one language & we have met a lot of Kazakhs who speak English very well. We
feel like the dumb Americans:)

Sunday night we left Almaty at 9:00pm & flew into Karaganda. We were met at the airport by Oxana & Natasha. Oxana is our interpeter who we just love.... Natasha is the coordinator for Karaganda & has been our driver for the first couple of days.
It was creepy driving from the airport which is outside of town. There was no traffic on the road but street lights lined both sides. I felt like I was in a James Bond movie. It was snowing, Natasha & Oxana were having a conversation in Russian. I thought the KGB was going to stop & arrest us at any minute. I think it was the lack of sleep that had my imagination going wild. It became very dark as we pulled into the neighborhood where our apartment is located. I thought to myself these people are going to take us somewhere & demand we give them all of our money & then leave us. Then my sanity returned, thanks to Shannon who had sent me a picture of Natasha & Oxana as I remembered that many other couples had arrived in Karaganda & had actually lived to tell about it:)

Now on to the good part, the next morning we thought we were going for an interview with some government official before going to the Baby House. We pulled up to a building that had very colorful playground equipment in the front & side yards. I was about to cry just by looking at the building. It was the baby house!!!! We went in & met up with another couple from WPA who was on the plane from Almaty to Karaganda with us. I was so nervous. Both couples went into the director's office & waited. Finally, someone came in carrying a little fellow & handed him to Joby. I took one look at him & knew he was my boy!!!! I didn't get a chance to cry because little Kazi boy's lip started to quiver & all I could think about was trying to make him happy. As they were bringing in another little boy, Kazi started to cry so I took him from Joby & tried to comfort him. They asked us if we wanted to visit with him for awhile so we left & went to the play area. Our son is 14 months old & we are naming him Kobe. He was not a happy camper on the first visit. Everytime someone came to the door he would cry. The baby doctor says he is very active but all he wanted us to do was hold him. He felt a little warm & was teething so I thought maybe he didn't feel good. He acted very shy. When we dropped him off, the caregiver came & told us to come back inside the room. He was laughing & trying to climb up on the table. I know it is a good sign that he is very attached to his caregiver but it breaks my heart to see him cry!!!!!
The afternoon visit went a little better. He still cried but we did manage to get a smile from him. Any time I tried to put him down to play he started crying loudly. It is hard to watch him trying to process all the emotional distress because we know he has so many new things to experience in the next few months. I just wish I could ease the pain for him.

Day 2
Kobe slept almost the entire morning visit on my shoulder. He cried at first & then just cuddled to me & went to sleep. He has recently changed rooms so he hasn't adjusted to the new schedule yet.
The afternoon visit was so much better. He cried at first but then he smiled & even played with us. He isn't really sure of Joby yet but he is trying. He loves to move. He isn't walking yet. He will get on all fours & before he starts to cry he sways back & forth for a minute & then he takes off. I think he is going to be hard to keep up with. I felt like I had been to an exercise class for two hours when we left the baby house this afternoon but Joby & I were both smiling from ear to ear. Hopefully each day will get a little easier!!!!

Amsterdam

2008-11-08T02:15:00.002-05:00

We have made it to Amsterdam. Things are going well. We are going to take a shower & a nap at the Yotel & then see about sightseeing. We may skip it.
The flight to Amsterdam was not as bad as I thought it would be. So far so good!!!!!

Travel Light??????

2008-11-07T00:02:00.002-05:00

It must be a joke. Everyone says you need to travel light but it is impossible. I am not even sure how we are going to get all of the luggage to the plane. No joke :) In 12 hours we will be on our first plane heading to Kaz. I think we are ready. Right now, I am not even sure if I have packed everything. We have packed, unpacked, packed, unpacked several times. All that really matters is that we are going to meet our son!!!! Everything else is really an afterthought. Joby has smiled all day. His buddies are even starting to joke with him about how excited he is acting.

I will try to update everyone has soon as possible. Kazi boy, we are coming!!!!!

The Countdown Continues.....

2008-11-01T09:44:00.004-04:00

Next week this time we will be in Amsterdam for the day. We have an 11 hour layover if all goes well. We are looking forward to doing some touristy stuff. Well, I am looking forward to playing tourist for the day. Joby would rather skip that part. I just hope that I survive the flight.

We are getting last minute things done around the house. It is keeping me busy! I have been unprepared for the emotions I feel about leaving Kylie for so long. It is much more difficult than what I thought it would be. She has agreed to come to Kaz for a week so hopefully I can get the paperwork straight with my agency. I don't think they are too happy with me right now about staying the whole time but I think they realized that I was determined.

I have an entire suitcase for our Kazi boy. Joby & I are sharing a suitcase for our clothes so that I can take everything Kazi needs. Joby can't believe he needs so much. I told Joby just be thankful we are adopting a boy because if we were adopting a girl she would need twice as much,especially in the clothes department :)

I had better get moving. I have a whole list of things to do today before the sun sets but next week will be an entirely different story......

Am I Going to Be Ready.....

2008-10-28T15:22:00.004-04:00

I was feeling good having so much time preparing for Kaz. Then last night I started thinking about how soon I will be meeting my son & the anxiety took over. I could hardly breath. How does this happen? I am happy!!!! I can't wait to get to Kaz but my heart is pounding like I just ran a mile :(

Paper work, Paper work, Paper work. I thought everything was under control. I just had a few things to update. Nothing that would take too long. Well my homestudy agency never received my formal request to update my homestudy. I mailed it to them 2weeks ago but I don't know where it went. Apparently it is sitting in a truck somewhere or it blow down the street. I don't know. So I sent another one by Fed Ex today. Hopefully I will get it back by Thursday or Friday. I will probably have to make a trip to Raleigh to have everything apostilled. I don't think it will be back before we leave if I use Fed Ex & I don't need anything else to worry about. Our flight is out of Raleigh-Durham but I don't want to wait until the day we leave to have the documents apostilled just in case something is wrong. The way things are going right now, it will be something stupid!!!!

I went to K-Mart today & the craziest thing happened. I wrote a check for my purchases & the cashier asked me could I pay by another method because my check was denied. I freaked out!!!!! Why is it denied? No one could tell me at Kmart. I had to call a 1 800 # to get answers. I was so embarrassed. I have never even bounced a check before. So I call the 1 800 # as soon as I get to my car & talked to a machine about the problem. I was told "Sorry about the inconvenience but it is for your own protection since you have had suspicious activity lately" (Suspicious activity, I am preparing to leave the country for 8 weeks.) "We will contact Kmart about the problem." At that point, I was waiting for someone to punk me or something. Then I realize Kmart is protecting me from myself for spending a little over $100.00 with them????? What kind of sense does this make? So I called Kmart & actually talked to a real person who gave me less relevant information than the machine. She suggested I call my bank. My bank has nothing to do with it. I have money in my account. Does Kmart want me to get my bank to send pre-approval or what!!!! When the girl realizes that she is getting no where with me she tells me to call tomorrow 7am-11am because that is the hours that whoever fixes problems at Kmart works. Well, maybe that's the problem.......

You may want to skip this blog for the next week or so because I think I am delirious!!!!!!

Can I just sleep for the next two weeks??????

2008-10-26T08:48:00.004-04:00

Things are moving right along. I have been busy packing & unpacking & repacking. Travel light is a difficult task. The space saver bags work great on snowsuits & fluffy materials but seem to take up more room on regular clothes.

My agency is trying to persuade us to make 2 trips. I am sure that they have their reasons for doing this but it has really wasted a lot of my energy unnecessarily. I think this situation should have been discussed earlier. I know they are trying to look out for us. "They have been there, we have not." I appreciate their honesty but it takes me a long time to make a decision and once I commit then I rarely change my position. I know it is not going to be a vacation. I know at some point I will probably say to myself maybe I should have listened. This isn't about me. I know that many parents can't stay the entire time & if my situation were different then I would have to choose a different plan. I chose Kazakhstan because of the bonding period. I think it is wonderful! How can I bond with Kazi Boy for 4 hours each day for 2 weeks & then leave him for a month? I know he will be well taken care of by the people who have been the only parents he knows. How can I return home & celebrate Christmas with my friends & family in my normal holiday spirit without him? If Kylie were younger, then I would return. I think everyone has to make the best decision for their family situation. My choice has been made to stay since I started this process but now I am waiting for the blessings of the coordinators in Kaz. I don't know what I will do if I don't receive their blessings. I guess I will cross that bridge if I have to, but I won't cross it willingly.

In 2 weeks I will be meeting my son:) All the waiting, packing, stress, & uncertainty will be forgotten! I am trying to keep my eye on the goal & not be sidelined by all the distractions. If I could just fast forward my life & wake up in Kazakhstan two weeks from now, then life would be perfect!!!!!!

Christmas In Kaz.....

2008-10-21T23:51:00.004-04:00

Well, we received news today that we will still be in Kaz during Christmas. It is our choice. We have decided to stay the entire time. I had a major meltdown today. Kylie has decided that she doesn't want to go to Kaz at all. It was our plan that she would come over with one of my parents for a week or 10 days. She has her passport, her shots, her absences excused from school & now she says she just doesn't want to go. I really don't know what to think. I have explained to her that I am not choosing to stay with him over her. I can talk to her & she understands that I will be gone for 8 weeks. Our boy can't understand when I say, "See you in a month." Am I making the right decision?

In the middle of my meltdown, Joby cracked me up:) He told me that he was putting his comfort foods in the carry on luggage instead of his clothes. He said he could always buy new clothes in Kaz but he couldn't live without his Peanut Butter & Beef Jerky! Right now we don't have winter coats or any kind of snow shoes but we have Joby's carry on with all of his snacks ready to go. I think we are going to need something to keep us warm!!!!!!

Cloudy Skies In Kaz?????

2008-10-18T09:36:00.003-04:00

The Visa's are back! The Crib is finally up! One suitcase is completely packed! Joby went to see his doctor because we want to be prepared just in case he decides to pass another kidney stone! I finally broke down & told Joby he had to give a speech at Court. He didn't seem too worried!!!

Slowly but surely we are marking things off our list. I am so thankful that I have all this time to get ready. One week wouldn't have been enough time for me to get everything done. Of course, Joby said if it was necessary we would just get on the plane with what we have & we would worry about everything else once we got to Kaz. I agree as long as the paperwork is ready everything else we can manage without. He is the voice of reason during this crazy & exciting time.

The last couple of weeks have been the best for me so far in this process. Everywhere I looked I was reading good news. The sun was shining in the Kaz adoption world. A couple of days ago, things changed. Someone who I thought would travel & meet her child & be experiencing her adoption adventure in Kaz with us has been denied. It has broke my heart for her. I am not sure of all the details but she is constantly in my thoughts. It seems so cruel!!! Now today I have read that another couple with a good reputable agency has traveled to Kaz & returned with no child.
WHY DOES THIS PROCESS HAVE TO BE SO HARD????

NY Consulate Rocks!!!!!

2008-10-14T09:13:00.005-04:00

I sent my visa by Fed-Ex to NY yesterday. Slowly, I am working my way thru my TO-DO List. It looks like Christmas has come early around here. I am either shopping or thinking about shopping. I purchased a new laptop so that I can take Kylie's old one which has XP on it. I am looking for a new compact digital camera because I have a Canon SLR which I am taking. I am thinking a smaller camera may be more convenient plus a back up will be well worth it. Any suggestions????

It seems like UPS or the Post Office delivers something everyday. I still have right much to do but since I have at least 3 weeks to get ready I am not stressing.
The crib isn't up yet & there is no bedding but I am working on it.

No official travel dates yet!

Update- I checked fedex tracking number to make sure that my package made it to the NY Consulate this afternoon. I dropped it off yesterday at 12:30pm & today at 5:30pm the Consulate has already shipped it back to me!!!!

Go NY Consulate Go!!!! I wish USCIS in NC had been that quick. They took 4 months.

Cookout At My House!!!!

2008-10-11T09:32:00.012-04:00

I took a break from shopping yesterday & had a cookout at my house with some of my family. My cousin was here from Georgia for the week so Joby cooked her favorite, "Fried Shrimp". Of course, we also had fish, scallops, crab dip, potatoes, slaw, hush puppies, & hersey bar cake. (none of it was on my diet) Yum! Yum!

I really don't like to cook fried food in my house so Joby cooked all the fried food out on our screened-in porch. He did a wonderful job!!!! He is a great cook but he makes a BIG mess & clean up isn't part of his job.

After everyone had filled their bellies full, we turned on the Wii. My brother is the biggest kid of all. He had to keep playing each game until he won. He gave up on beating Kylie at boxing because he was about to have a heart attach. I expect to come home this week & find him practicing because he won't be happy until he knocks her out.

I didn't even get a picture of the whole gang eating but you can see everyone's belly is poked out!!!!

LOI !!!!!!

2008-10-08T17:00:00.003-04:00

We received our Letter Of Invitation Today!!!!

Kaz Here We Come!!!!

We don't have the exact travel dates yet. It could be another week before we know but we are invited to be in Kazakhstan starting November 5th.

WHOOOO HOOOO!!!!! WHOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!

Can you tell how excited I am? Now I just have to wait for exact dates & figure out when Kylie is going to come over. If we are still there at Christmas, then she & my mom will fly over then. If we are going to be back before Christmas, then Kylie is coming for Thanksgiving Break!!!!

Each day gets better & better & I haven't even met my boy yet. Can you imagine how I am going to feel once I met him!!!!!!

Whew what a week....

2008-10-03T22:16:00.004-04:00

I finally made a trip to Babies R Us this week. It was awesome!!! I spent 1 1/2 hours just looking. I purchased a few things but didn't really get a lot. I think I was overwhelmed. I am not exactly sure what is absolutely necessary & what is optional. There are so many different toys!!!!!

I think it would be great to make 2 trips so that I could come back & get whatever I needed but I know that once I hold my boy it won't be an option. My agency recommends making two trips but I am certain that I will only make one. Joby is leaning towards staying the entire time but he will not make up his mind until we get travel dates. I think it will be at least another month before we know when we will travel.

This was a good week in the Kaz adoption world. Court dates went well in Kaz. Leeza Grace left the orphanage with her mom, Susan. A couple of PAP's traveled to Kaz to finally meet their children. Things seem to be moving right along!!!!

GO KAZ GO!!!!!

I have been busy shopping. My computer has been asking for overtime pay because I have been on it so much & I spent one day in Virginia shopping. I am still not close to being ready! Poor fellow doesn't have his crib up yet or any bedding!!!!

I did decorate my yard for the fall but I didn't go all out like I normally do. If I have to leave for Kaz, I don't want to come back at Christmas time with Halloween decorations still up.

The Excitement Continues......

2008-09-27T15:45:00.011-04:00

It seems like only a couple of years ago that these pictures were taken but it has been almost 18 years. I know Joby looks like he is 14 but he really was 22.

When we started this process last year, I wasn't sure Joby would make it through the homestudy. He is laid back & friendly but he doesn't allow many people into his personal & private identity. You know, the real him. When I read to him the questions for the homestudy he gave me the look which means you have got to be kidding me. Then he said what does my childhood have to do with me parenting a child? Now you can understand why I was worried.
At the first meeting with our social worker, she started by telling us about her son's adoption from Russia. When it was time to get on the plane her husband told her he didn't know if he could do it & she told him he had two choices either get on the plane or she would kill him right there at the airport & stuff his body in the trunk of the car & then she would go get her son without him. Her husband decided to get on the plane. After that story, Joby loved the social worker & said she really couldn't take anything he said wrong. She had threatened to kill her husband!!! Apparently she is a professional because Joby answered all of her questions without any resistance & seemed to enjoy their conversations.

I have basically told Joby the steps of our adoption process on a need to know basis. He has done whatever was necessary to move on to the next step but hasn't really asked many questions other than what was necessary to complete each task. At times I have worried that he was holding out on me. What if he changed his mind? Would he discuss any reservations with me? Would I get almost to the finish line & then he decide that he couldn't cross it? He has reassured me every time that I have questioned his commitment but I still continued to worry....

Well, last week things changed around here. Once we received the region assignment, I think a strange being has taken over my husband's body & mind. He is sooo excited that he is telling everyone about our adoption. Last month, this same man finally told his parents whom he sees every day the inside scoop & now this week he is telling the entire world. I am talking about people he hasn't seen in years but runs into them at the bank or in the store. He is even talking about staying in Kaz for the entire time. I can't believe it!!!! He is beaming from ear to ear whenever we discuss Kaz. He is actually looking in catalogs & shopping. I could just go on & on about all the changes I see but I don't want to bore you. It is indeed amazing!!!!!!!! Now that I think about it, he did cry at our wedding & I laughed so I guess that's what makes life interesting. Just when you think you have something figured out, it changes & this change is wonderful!!!!!

Light Bulb Moment.....

2008-09-25T11:57:00.005-04:00

Kylie has added a few friends to her entourage over the summer. I have mentally struggled with myself over her choices. I have always taught her to look inwardly at a person not outwardly. Apparently, I did a great job because she hangs out with one boy who has dyed his hair black, has a funky hairdo, & has a lip ring. He is not her boyfriend which is odd because he spends more time here than most of her girlfriends. She hardly brings the boy she really likes here. I think she is afraid if he finds out how crazy her family is that he won't like her but that is just my guess. Anyway, back to the boy with the lip ring, he has a very bad home life & I do feel sorry for him. I have allowed him to be here way later than I would normally find acceptable because I know he doesn't want to go home. I have kept any reservation about him from Kylie.
Joby & I have had lots of discussions about him. Needless to say, we have become very attached to this kid. It is a real stretch for Joby because he was raised no long hair, no tattoos, no hair dye,no earrings etc. Yesterday, Joby said, " If everyone could get passed this kid's looks then they would know he is a good kid & another boy who looks the most normal or what society would call normal is the worst kid in the bunch." Joby is right!

How does this relate to my adoption? Well I have been a little worried about how my adopted child would fit into my extended family & our village. I know that he will be loved in our home but how will he be received in our life? Now I know, even the South has come a long way but people are people everywhere & I don't want my child to be hurt unintentionally or intentionally from ignorance.
In our village, everyone is somehow related to everyone else. It may be 4-5 generations back or by marriage but somehow we all connect. This weekend I saw one of my distant cousins who has an adopted grandchild from Korea. She is a very private person. She asked how my adoption was going & I caught her up on all the news. She then tells me that when her daughter told her she was adopting that she kept her feelings to herself but she didn't think she could love her grandson as much as her granddaughter because he wasn't her blood kin. Now she hated to admit it because she loved her granddaughter who is her first grandchild but she thought she loved her grandson more. I replied, "it isn't about blood, it is about relationships." She agreed!!!!!
My light bulb moment occurred yesterday.
So here I am expecting my friends & family to accept my son but I have struggled accepting Kylie's friend. How can a 16 year old be so smart? Kylie really surrounds herself with not the most popular kids in school but kids that really are good decent kids. It doesn't matter what they look like or that everyone thinks they are different she sees how they treat other people. Any time she has told me that she didn't like a person it was because they treated her or others badly. I am now learning lessons from my 16 year old!!!!!!!

The Deal of the Day!!!!

2008-09-23T12:16:00.003-04:00

I have so much stuff to buy. It is not the adoption fees that are draining my pocketbook, it is all the other stuff. Babies have really neat gadgets now!!!! I can't believe all the new stuff that is available since Kylie was a baby. It makes me feel old just saying it.

Anyway, yesterday I was discussing with Joby that we need a snowsuit. Now how many times are we going to use a snowsuit once we get home. Maybe once, Probably 0! Our boy had better get used to wearing no clothes because as I have told ya'll, we don't wear shoes around here much. Sometimes I wear flip flops in the winter!!!!
Now Joby is getting a little worried that I am getting carried away with all the shopping. I went to buy his mother a birthday present & picked up 2 outfits for our boy. I told Joby he was lucky because it was the only 2 boy outfits in the entire store that I liked but if we were adopting a girl the bag would have been full. So I come home feeling a little guilty (I am sure that was Joby's intention)and check out ebay for a snowsuit. I bought an Osk-Gosh snowsuit with slippers & gloves for $8.63 & the person selling it lived on the same road that Joby's business is on so she dropped it off for me today. I didn't even have to pay shipping!!!

Now I can spend a little more on toys since I just saved so much on the snowsuit!!!!

Joby is threating to cut the computer lines because I am looking at so much stuff on online. My brother left his laptop here last week & I love it. I can watch TV with the family & shop at the same time. Kylie has a laptop but I do not so now I am going to get a new laptop. Well, Kylie may get the new one & I may take the old one to Kaz because it has XP on it. I don't want to be in Kaz with out internet!!!!!

Is it the weather or thoughts of my boy.....

2008-09-21T19:46:00.004-04:00

I am not sure what has caused me suddenly to have more energy but I am so thankful. I have lots to do since I haven't wanted to be too prepared. I know, where was my faith!!!

This week I received my new prints back from the FBI & sent them on to be apostilled. I contacted my social worker about updating my homestudy since it will be a year old in late November. I have purchased an ergo. I ordered money from my bank. I have read & read & read different packing lists & blogs to make up a travel list. I have bugged many people about what I need but especially Susan who is in Kaz.
Sorry if I am driving anyone crazy, but I am just so excited!!!!!!

I love summertime because I live at the beach but I enjoy Fall weather. I always get more done once the cool weather comes. I usually do lots & lots of fall chores. I hope that I get around to them this year; but if not, I have more important matters to attend!!!!

At the end of a storm, Is a golden sky

2008-09-17T23:16:00.004-04:00

When you walk through a storm
Hold your chin up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.

At the end of a storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet, silver song of a lark.

Walk on, through the wind,
Walk on, through the rain,

Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone.

We have weathered the storms of life during the last 6 years trying to add another child to our family. At times I felt my heart had been battered, broken & stomped on. Today the clouds parted & the sun began to shine.

We have been assigned a region & we should travel in the next month or two!!!!!! YEEEEHAAAW!
Thanks for all the comments of support during this last month of storms. I feel so fortunate. I guess week 13 was lucky for us. Am I dreaming? Is this really happening! I am going to meet my boy before Christmas!!!!!!

Celebrating Joby's Birthday!!!!!!

2008-09-14T20:23:00.012-04:00
The Birthday Boy....

Joby turned the big 40 this weekend!!!! We went to Ocracoke Island. For years we went every year but the last 5 years we have skipped going, so it was nice to go back. Nothing has really changed. We took the ferry over on Friday with the boat & Kylie drove her car with a friend Friday evening. We went out to a nice supper at our favorite restaurant, Cafe Atlantic. The mosquitoes were terrible. I guess they don't spray in Ocracoke. Joby says he needs a blood transfusion now!!!

Saturday we went out in the boat for the day. We went clamming & fishing. I read a great book called THE SHACK. It is not something that I normally would pick to read but someone recommended it to me. It was very thought provoking & maybe a little too deep for this weekend. I am still processing some of it.

It was kinda nice to be away from the computer. I think I am spending way too much time checking emails & reading blogs. I am going to do better this week. I think I have been saying this for at least a month....

Riding The Ferry Over.....

One of Joby's favorite things to do.....

The results from all his hard work....

Ashleigh & Kylie

Portsmouth Island
NPS manages this island. The mosquitoes are the only inhabitants!!!! There are still houses, a church, post office etc. but no one lives there any more. It was once more populated than Ocracoke.....

Looking off the beach....

So I am rested up & ready to continue the wait... We are going into week 13 now. Move Dossier Move!!!!!!

Comments, Questions & Comments

2008-09-11T12:23:00.005-04:00
The wait has been much harder than I could have imagined. Blogging has been a big help. However, it makes me sad to read about others dropping out or changing directions. It is very unsettling. I have noticed that timelines are rarely ever the same. Some agencies seem to spread out the time equally between all the steps & other agencies seem to move very quickly until the LOI and then move slowly. How can the time differ so much? Some have been at the MFA for over 6 months & some move on in only a month. Some travel quickly after region assignment while others wait & wait & wait. It makes things seem more uncertain & also makes one question themselves & their agency. Maybe things will move more smoothly & more uniform once the new process is in place.

I really appreciate my blogger friends. It is a great comfort to know that others have experienced the same feelings & questions and have survived. It is encouraging to read a blog when someone is in Kaz bonding. It makes me so excited for them & it gives me hope for myself. Several times I have read that because of blogging an adoption process has been effected. It makes me angry & upset! I have allowed access to myself, my adoption process, & my family to people that I have not met in person but who I have shared true feelings & emotions. Should I worry that I may write the wrong thing & have to suffer consequences for sharing my happiness or my despair? I would hope not but it seems to happen. I would never do or say anything to put any one's adoption in question so I am asking the same of you.

A true friend is supportive even when they don't agree with you. If you read something you don't like by all means you can either address it or just ignore it. Please don't go tattle to your coordinator or your agency about it.

I want to say thank you to everyone who is willing to share their adoption experience with me. It means more than you will ever know!!!!

Making Memories with Hurricane Hanna

2008-09-06T20:48:00.014-04:00
Yesterday I played in the rain for about an hour. Actually I was working putting up lawn furniture & stuff from the yard. When it started raining I just kept working. It was warm & there was no lightning just a little rain. It felt like I was a child again. It made me start thinking about some of my favorite childhood memories; playing in the tide. The tide comes up at least once a year sometimes more around here. When I was a child I lived on "The Lane", & the road several houses down from mine was called Thicket Lump. The tide always came up at Thicket Lump first so we would walk down there & play in the water. No one ever worried about catching a disease or getting sick.

So today after the storm passed, I rode with Kylie to check out things & surprise the tide was up. We went & picked up my niece & nephew and took them to play in the tide. See what our boy is missing out on!!!!!

Thicket Lump Road Today!!!!

Yes, This Is Thicket Lump Road!!!!

Playing In Nana's Yard

View from Kee's Porch: Where's the yard????

Another View from Kee's Porch: The Sound, Can you see the white caps?

Picnic Anyone?????

New Week & A New Attitude!!!!

2008-09-02T12:03:00.006-04:00

My attitude needed an adjustment. It hasn't been bad just down. I have been very disappointed the entire month of August. I really expected to hear something each day concerning our region. I checked my email & my phone messages several times a day. I just haven't had too much get up & go!!!! I don't know if I am depressed and it is making me tired or I am tired & it is making me depressed. I think it is the uncertainty of things. I want to start preparing but I just won't let myself because Kaz may change another rule & it may not work out for us. My heart breaks everytime I read about someone dropping out of the Kaz adoption world. Some have waited more than a year. To me, it seems so unfair but I remind myself that I can't see the BIG picture & maybe there is a reason. It is just hard to understand. I am sooo happy that my dossier is in Kaz. Reading the blogs of bonding in Kaz keeps me going. So thanks to all of you who have shared your blogs with me. I really don't mind the wait, it is the uncertainty!!!!

Yesterday Cassie came over to ride. She rode our pony Peaches who hasn't really been ridden in a long time. Kylie rode my horse instead of one of hers. She even rode Tybee without a bridle down the road. Of course both kids were barefoot. We only wear shoes when we have to around here. No shoes! No bridles! No saddles! Comfort comes before safety around here!!!!!

Going Undercover!!!

2008-08-30T09:28:00.003-04:00
I have finally gone private. I really didn't want to take this step but have been told it is necessary. The #1 reason is I don't want the officials in Kaz to read my blog & hold anything against me that would jeopardize our adoption. I want to be honest and share my feelings about this process. Some days are good & some days are terrible. I don't want something I say on a bad day to disrupt my adoption or anyone's adoption.

I picked Kaz last year after a lot of research. My #1 reason was I thought the bonding period was an excellent idea. I knew if I could talk Joby into traveling to another country for over one month, this was the country we would find our son. I think it is a great opportunity for our family. We will bond with our child & have time to learn about his country. The process has changed somewhat in a year. Now our process may vary according to our region assignment. I want to stay the entire process but may find it too difficult depending on our region. I can't image bonding & then leaving but we will have to see how things go.

Almost 11 weeks & no region assignment, maybe this week will be our lucky week!!!!!

One Year Ago!!!!

2008-08-26T10:50:00.004-04:00
This month marks our one year anniversary for officially starting our Kazakhstan adoption adventure. We thought we would be in Kaz by now but we are just learning to go with the flow. This is a great lesson for letting go of things you can't control. Our dossier has been in Kaz for 10 weeks now. Are we still at the MFA or have we moved to the MOE? We don't know but hopefully we will hear something soon. I am getting tired of saying that!!!!!! Will it be Next month, next week, or how about tomorrow. I just want to know where in Kaz that I am going so that I can start doing something besides checking emails & reading Kaz blogs. The computer has taken over my life.....

Last year this time I also started a diet. Usually I go a month & then I gradually go back to eating the same good junk food. This time has been different. Except for the month of July & a few times here and there, I have made this diet a way of life. I have lost 60 lbs. It has been difficult. My family likes potatoes & corn at every meal. I can't eat potatoes & corn. I bake cakes & don't even get to sample. We have started eating more vegetables & Kylie is complaining about peppers being added to everything but we have learned to adjust. They still eat sugar!!!!! Most of the time it doesn't even bother me. I was worried that once it got hot, I would be slack about exercising but I haven't missed many days. On the really hot & humid days I go to the beach & walk. Now that is a workout!!!! I still want to lose another 20 lbs & I was hoping going to Kaz would help me but after reading Susan's blog I am afraid I will gain 20 lbs. Is the food really that good?????

Hopefully when I look back next year this time, all this waiting will be a distant memory replaced with lots of joy with our boy. I hope I have lost another 20lbs & that I keep it off!!!!! Here's to stepping forward.....

Many Changes Next Week!!!!!

2008-08-21T10:45:00.004-04:00

The time has come for us to go private. I wish it wasn't this way. I always dreaded reading this post on other blogs. Would I be invited? Why is this necessary? Some of my fellow bloggers who have already been to Kaz & made it back have advised me that this is indeed very necessary.

Next week our dossier will have been in Kaz for 10 weeks. Going by the recent WPA timeline, I should be close to hearing GOOD NEWS!!!!! Of course, I may hear it tomorrow or it could be another month. Really there is no way to know for sure but I want to be prepared.

School starts next week so things will certainly be different around this house. Kids have been going & coming day & night. No more flashlight tag at 12:00 am. No more slurpee runs between 11pm & 12. I think this is just an excuse to ride somewhere. I will actually be able to leave my house during the day & not wonder how many kids will be waiting for me when I return. I will be able to plan supper & know how many are eating. I am hoping my grocery bill gets a little smaller.

On the down side, we will need to be more scheduled. I like summer because the schedule is made up minute by minute & most things can be rearranged. Kylie will no longer be working with the vet. I love to hear her stories each week about what has happened. Since I drive her up the beach because the traffic is so bad, I am going to miss the time we spend together chatting in the car. She is going to be a busy girl. She is taking 2 college courses & she has 5 classes at High School. She is in Honors English & 2 AP Courses. I am hoping she can fit in a small trip to Kaz somewhere along the way.

I plan to get busy around here. My beach bum days are coming to an end. Oh I still have a few more hours set aside to enjoy the beach but I really need to get things rolling around here. I have a few chores which have nothing to do with Kaz. Plus I plan to focus on learning Russian a little more. Next month, one of my best friends & Joby turn 40 in the same week. Believe me, there will be lots of celebrating!!!!

I am so thankful for all the interaction & support that I have from my friends who I have made in the blogger world. I hope to continue with this. I love to read the comments left on my blog after a post. So please leave me your email address if I don't have it.

To Prepare Or Not To Prepare, That is the Question!!!

2008-08-17T13:55:00.005-04:00

For 6 years we have tried to add another child to our family. We have had many disappointments & a lot of heartache. It has made me very cautious about getting excited or too emotionally attached to the idea that we will have a new family member. I do not have a room ready or have loads of clothes hanging in the closet. I have repainted & cleaned out our extra bedroom, put in new carpet,& purchased a few outfits. I keep telling myself when we get news of our region then I will start preparing. I don't want to wait until the last minute because I will be overwhelmed. I just don't want to set myself up for more disappointment.

On Thursday Kylie & I went school shopping & I did purchase a few things that we can use for our trip. I want to just go shop like a crazy woman & get everything done but I guess I am just too scared. So I purchased things that I could still use around here. Storage bags, small cuttin board, duct tape, etc. I would start to buy something like gifts for the caretakers & then say no I am going to wait. I was driving Kylie crazy all day.

On Friday I read the news about gender preference & the issues in Kaz. I was so thankful that I didn't buy all the stuff that I wanted to on Thursday. I want to believe that Kaz is where our son is going to be but every once in a while nagging thoughts of doubt start to take over my mind & fear sets in. Am I setting myself & my family up for more disappointment? Is it crazy for me to think this is going to really happen? Have I put my faith in an agency & another country to make my dreams come true?

I am not a very religious person but I am extremely spiritual. I think Religion has been used to cause most of the pain & suffering in the world. I struggle sometimes with the Bible & how other people interpret it. I despise when people judge other people & use the Bible as their source.
(Back to my Point) Today I sat in Church & listened to one of my favorite teachers talk about the Holy Spirit who was sent by God to convince us & guide us towards the place we are suppose to be in our lives. I believe I am suppose to go to Kaz. I believe my son is in Kaz. Is this just in my mind or is there something bigger steering me in this direction? I can't answer that question with 100% certainty. I can say everything that has happened in the last 6 years has put us on the coarse to Kaz. Is this the final destination? I don't know but hopefully soon I can look back & say, "YES!!!!" If not, then it is just another step in the process to get me where I am going, prepared or not.

If I was a squirrel I would probably wait until winter before I started stocking up! I guess I would need lots of friends or either I would be real skinny!!!!

"Have You Heard Anything Yet?"

2008-08-12T19:53:00.009-04:00

For the last two months I have answered this same question over & over. I think my family & friends are starting to get a little worried. I have heard several comments about adoption agencies scamming people. The wait is hard enough & now I have to explain how things have really slowed down in Kaz. On top of all this, Russia is at war with Georgia! So today I heard that Russia wants to take back all of the USSR & it may not be safe for me to travel to Kaz. I hope my mother doesn't hear this because she will have everyone worrying about us!!!! Isn't that what moms do best? Worry!!!!!

So we have been at MFA in Kaz for 8 weeks!!!

I went to the beach by myself today & read a book. It was beautiful!!!! Just watching the ocean relaxes my mind!!! What would I do if I lived in the middle of the country?????

Maybe next week we will hear good news ......

Jumping Thru Hoops & Climbing Fences!!!!!

2008-08-06T10:18:00.010-04:00

Cowboy Giving Sadie Kisses

It has been one year since we began our adoption journey. We have jumped thru many hoops for our agency, our state, our federal government, & for Kazakhstan. Each hoop doesn't seem so large once it is completed but at the beginning it was mind boggling. Yesterday after communicating with my coordinator, I realized some of my dossier would need to be updated. More hoops over the next several months. I am not complaining because it will be all worth it once Kazman is home with us!!!!!!

Last night Joby called me freaking out at 8:30. He couldn't find his dog. Sadie is the second golden receiver that we have owned. Our first one, Sweet Amanda Lane aka Mandy, I gave to Joby while we were dating. He loved her probably more than he loved me at the time. She had a bad hip & he even had it replaced. Her good hip gave out after that & it was a sad time when she died. She was our first child.

I got Sweet Mercedes Lane aka Sadie in 2000 for father's day as a surprise. Mandy had been gone several years & I thought Joby was lonely. It was a surprise but one Joby wasn't exactly thrilled about. For 3 months he wouldn't take her with him to work but eventually I could tell he was starting to come around. In November 2000, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary so we decided to go to the Bahamas. The day before we left, Sadie stayed home with me because Joby was busy taking care of last minute details. Kylie was out in the yard with several friends & Sadie was with them one minute & gone the next. We stayed up all night searching for her. Joby didn't want to get on the flight to go to the Bahamas. He was certain someone had stolen his dog & he would never see her again. I thought she had wandered off & someone had taken her in for the night. The first few days of our vacation he was miserable. A 9 year old girl had walked by our house & just taken her home. She had purchased a new collar & was planning on keeping her. My mom found out & went right in the girls house & got Sadie back. Joby has loved Sadie as much as Mandy ever since.

Sadie goes with Joby everyday & if she doesn't then she pouts & gets depressed. She loves to swim & is crazy over a tennis ball. She steals them from anywhere she can find them. Joby's family owns a trailer park behind their business. A lot of the trailers are used for second homes by people from out of state. Sadie visits whenever children are there. She loves children because usually they will throw the tennis ball for her. The residents say she is the best babysitter!!!!
She is always waiting at Joby's truck when it is time to go home. (He will only let her ride inside the truck because he is afraid she will get hurt in the back)
Last night she wasn't waiting on him. He searched everywhere with no sign of her. One of her friends (a little boy who throws the ball for her) said he saw the dogcatcher riding around in the park. By then, the animal shelter was closed. I called the emergency number but they wouldn't give me any information. So I drove to the shelter. Our county has one shelter 10 minutes from our house & one shelter ten minutes from the business.
I went around the back of the shelter & looked thru the 6 foot fence to see if she was there. I couldn't tell, so I came home, picked up the 4 teenagers at my house & returned to the shelter. I told them to climb the fence & check to see if she was there. The whole time I am thinking that I need to update my fingerprints with the FBI & I may get fingerprinted before the night was over. She was not there.
Next, I went to school with the dogcatcher that works near the business so Joby called his house & his wife said he was still at work. This shelter is also closed & locked up so Joby climbs under the fence looking for the dog catcher. He laughs when Joby tells him how he got in. It is a good thing to know people!!!! She wasn't there either.

Now, I start to freak a little so I drive over to the business. Joby tells me there is nothing I can do but I insist that he look in every cooler, freezer, barn & storage unit around the business. Joby says he has already looked but Sadie never goes in any of them. Still I insist because I know I won't be able to sleep worrying that she is locked up somewhere. Finally Joby remembers that he went with several guys into a barn to get equipment around 6:00 pm & Sadie was chasing a cat. Joby insists that she didn't go into the barn with him but when he unlocks the door she comes running out. I guess she went in looking for the cat & Joby didn't see her.

So I am willing to jump thru hoops & climb fences for anyone I love!!!!!
I guess Kazman won't be going to work with Joby!!!!!

Zoe

One Week or One Month????

2008-08-04T19:53:00.005-04:00
Dossier has been in Kaz for 7 weeks now.

I have been expecting to hear news for the last week or so. When I started this process, it took 4-8 weeks at the MFA. This weekend I received info from my agency that it is now taking 90 days at the MFA, so I guess I have another month to wait.

I was worried about traveling in May when I turned in my dossier & now it may be Christmas before I get there. I do not like to be away from my extended family during Christmas. I have only been away twice in my life & I didn't like it. I am a family girl & I don't like change. The last time I was away at Christmas my brother wasn't happy either. What can I say but he loves me!!!!
Joby & I discussed being in Kaz for Christmas last week & he was like, "We will just have to make the best of it." So I have been thinking about it & maybe it won't be so bad. Kylie & someone else in my family could fly over for Christmas break. It would be kinda neat to pass out presents to the kids in the orphanage.
I would love to be home with Kazman even if it is just a couple of days before Christmas but I am learning to look at the positive side of things. So hopefully one way or another we will spend Christmas with Kazman, we just don't know the location yet!!!!!

If Everyone would just take their pants off then I would feel better!

2008-07-29T20:22:00.017-04:00
Last week my cousin was home from Raleigh with her kids & we spent time together. One late afternoon we went walking on the beach & the kids played & got a little wet and sandy. While we were driving home, Walker (the only boy in a car full of girls) was kinda miserable because he had wet sand in his shorts so I said, "Just pull off your shorts & wrap your towel around you." Of course he did what I told him in a split second. We were all laughing at him, so he said, "It would make me feel better if everyone took off their pants!" It was hilarious & the girls got a big kick out of it. I wish I had a picture to go with the story but no one had a camera!

Dossier has been in Kaz for 6 weeks now!

If the wait gets much longer I may take Walker's advice & ask everyone to take their pants off so I will feel better!
Just kidding!!!!!

I did take a few pictures the day we spent with our great uncles from Currituck (one is 88 & the other one is 89).

Walker & His Mom Acting Crazy!!!

Yes She Is The Duke Graduate!!!

The Whole Gang!!!

Playing In The Garden

Is this a tomato tree?

Next Year Kazman Will Be Right In The Middle of All This!!!

Where did the month of July go? I am getting nothing on my TO DO LIST done. I am playing way toooo much!!!!!!

Karaoke,Clamming,Old Photos & Working Out with the Desperates!!!!!

2008-07-14T22:13:00.006-04:00

My dossier has been in Kaz for one month now. So what am I doing to pass the time? Saturday Night, Joby & I went to our favorite restaurant with a bunch of friends for Karaoke. It was soooo much fun just watching people. No, I did not get up and sing because I know my limitations. Singing is not one of my talents. I kinda make a joyful noise!

Today was Joby's day off & we went clamming. Kylie took a friend & anytime we are out in the boat then we are all happy. I hope Baby Kaz loves the boat as much as we do. Kylie's dog Cowboy decided he wanted to go with us. He jumped from the dock into the water & started swimming after the boat. We were afraid he would not turn around so we picked him up & put him in the boat. Joby said if he could learn to behave in the boat then he would take Cowboy to work with him. Joby spends half of his day in a boat. We were plugging along & Cowboy jumped on the washboard which most dogs will walk around. Cowboy had another idea he jumped back into the water & started swimming away from us. We weren't anywhere close to home so we had to stop & pick him up. I was thinking he is going to ruin our day when we met my dad in his boat. He thought we were tourist because we were stopped in an odd place until he got closer to us. Being the wonderful father that he is, he offered to take Cowboy back home. He had to hold Cowboy by the collar & steer the boat at the same time. Cowboy cried the entire way back home for us. When he got to our dock Cowboy jumped out of the boat & started running for our house. So dad starts to back away in his boat, Cowboy turns around & jumps back into the water swimming after my dad. Cowboy likes to do whatever you don't want him to do. He is a crazy dog but we love him.

Last week it rained a couple of days so I was stuck in the house. No fun in the summer but I decided to work on some of my old photos & even visited and exchanged a few old photos with neighbors. Everyone is somehow related around here. I also went to the Courthouse & looked up some records. I love looking at old deeds, wills, etc.

Everyday I try to exercise. Walking is my favorite but I am going to work out with my friends who I have been walking with each night. They work out at 8:00am each morning. I am not a morning person but I am going to try it this week. I may need to go to bed before 2am.
So you can see while my dossier is probably sitting on a desk in Kaz just relaxing & waiting for it's turn, I am staying busy & having lots of fun!!!!!

3 weeks

2008-07-10T09:25:00.002-04:00
Our dossier has been at the MFA for 3 weeks now. It seems like it has been there for 3 months. It seems like time is running in place right now. The first few months flew by so I am not sure what is happening.

I read in the WPA manual that the MOE only keeps the dossier for 90 days after approval which is why translation sometimes takes a little longer. Does anyone know about this policy or has it been changed?

Cousins Celebrating 4th Of July

2008-07-05T11:06:00.017-04:00
Uncle Tuck Picking Crabs For Kylie & Emily

Emily & Kylie Eating Shrimp & Crabs

Annabelle, Gabe, Kylie & Emily

Cousins On The Bridge

Kylie & Emily with Glo Necklaces

Cousins Watching Fireworks

We went to my brother's house to watch the fireworks. Joby stayed home because he still isn't feeling good. Emily(my cousin's daughter) went with us. Her brother Walker & the rest of her family didn't go because they had been out in the boat all day & were tired. Annabelle & Gabe are my brother's children & my brother is Tucker. Tucker had steamed crabs & shrimp so the kids ate a little then I walked with the kids downtown. There were lots of people. We watched a couple of boys jump off the bridge into the water several times. I think in a couple of years Gabe will be one of those boys since he loves the water. The bridge is small. We just mingled with the crowd waiting for the fireworks to start. We were going to get a funnel cake but the line was too long. We went back to Tucker's house & I gave them Glo in the dark bracelets & necklaces. Next year Kazman is going to have so much fun with his family. We were missing cousins Maddy & Kassie but next year hopefully the whole gang will get together.
Tonight we are having a cookout with the neighbors! Never a dull moment around here!!!!

Happy Independence Day!!!!!

2008-07-04T09:25:00.002-04:00

Celebrating INDEPENDENCE DAY. Joby works on the 4th of July but we always celebrate by watching the fireworks. Sometimes we go to my brother's house. He lives in Manteo on the waterfront & the town has a display each year. We have front row seats from the porch. It is usually loud & small kids are often scared so next year we may have to skip it. Every few years the marsh catches on fire during the display & that is more exciting than the fireworks. This year has been dry & we have already had a large fire in the next county over which has burned 40,000+ acres so I am hoping no fire tonight!!!!
If the wind isn't blowing too hard, sometimes we go out in the boat to watch the fireworks. In the boat we can see 3 different displays of fireworks! The towns usually start their displays at different times but sometimes they overlap. It is really cool watching them in the boat. I don't know what we will do tonight because Joby is still not feeling his normal self. He hasn't passed his stone yet.

Our dossier has been in Kaz for 2+ weeks. Time seems to be crawling by! I still have lots to do so its okay.

I have been on a diet since last September. I wanted to have more energy so I made up my mind dieting would help. I walk 2-3 miles everyday. I am pretty faithful about my diet but I hit a plateau month before last & was getting discouraged. Last month I lost 9 pounds so I am back on track. I was also worried that when summer hit I would get slack about exercising because of the heat. My friends have come to the rescue. We start walking at 8:30-9:00pm. It is cooler! It is great because I get to exercise plus I get to talk girl talk. We talk about kids, husbands, neighbors, gossip. It really makes the time go faster. Last night we walked an extra mile because we had so much to talk about. I wish there was something I could do to make this adoption time move faster.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY !!!!!!!!

Don't Fret Over The Speed Bumps!!!!!

2008-06-27T16:40:00.007-04:00

When we completed our dossier in February, we were told we would travel by June. Well, we hit a few speed bumps after translation & our dossier was on hold for over a month & our timeline changed. We were a little disappointed but we were trying to roll with the punches.

Last night I was at the local hospital with Joby from 9pm-4am. He was passing a kidney stone. He has at least 4 stones floating around & yes Kylie had one a while back too. We all have them & they are extremely painful!!! Much worse than childbirth. Last night, we had a terrible time in the emergency room which is another story for another day. At 2:00 am this morning it hit me while waiting for them to release Joby that we could have been in Kaz right now if we had stuck to our preferred timeline. So I am thanking God that we are on his timeline & not ours. It has been 2 years since Joby passed his last stone so hopefully we will be good until we get back from Kaz. Cheers to those speed bumps that had us fretting just a couple of months ago.

I taught Vacation Bible School this week & had a blast! My group was in Kindergarten this year & we really had a lot of fun. I would tell ya'll all about it but I am running on 2 hours of sleep last night & a 1 hour nap today. I hope this isn't training for events to come. I like my 8 hours of sleep each night!!!!!!

Dossier In Kaz!!!!!

2008-06-17T12:02:00.002-04:00

Whooo Hoooo!!!!!! I just listened to my messages since I was gone all day yesterday & my coordinator says our dossier is in Kaz!!!!!!!!!!

So we have left the Consulate in NY & are at the MFA. We will probably be at the MFA for 6-8 weeks! We are moving right along. I had better get working on my TO DO List again since I have been a little slack.

It is funny how a message can put a little bounce of energy in your step. I may walk 4 miles today!!!!!!!

Reflection

2008-06-13T10:38:00.003-04:00

One year ago we had not even started the process of international adoption. We had considered adoption & even tried working on a private adoption (long story) which didn't go as we planned. Looking back, I now know it took all the heartache & disappointments to set us on the right course to find our son.
This morning I have been thinking of all the steps we have taken over the last year to get us to this point (Homestudy, Fingerprints, Mortgage Letter, Etc.) & even though we haven't meet our boy yet we have accomplished a lot.
Sometimes we get so focused on the final goal we forget about all the details that get us to the goal. I have met a lot of great people who would never have been part of my life without this wonderful & exciting adventure called international adoption.

If someone had told me 2 years ago that we would be on this journey & that Joby would be excited about it, I would have thought they were crazy. He has been a real trooper. Of course, the real test will be in Kaz. He doesn't like to be away from home for even a week. He doesn't say much but every once in a while, he'll ask, "Have you heard any news about our boy?" It is these little details that I am learning to appreciate.

I heard from my coordinator yesterday & so far so good. No new News but she is expecting to hear something soon. We have been in NY now for 7+ weeks so any day our dossier should be flying over to Kaz.

6 Weeks & Counting

2008-06-03T09:00:00.002-04:00

My dossier has been in NY for six weeks now. So hopefully it will be moving to Kaz soon. One step closer to the finish line!!!!
I try to stay positive on my blog but sometimes the anxiety surfaces & I get paranoid. Last week I had one of those days & it wasn't pretty. It really drained me emotionally.
Super Heroine Angela came to the rescue. She really knows how to say or should I say write the calming words that I need. She has really helped me understand more about the process. Thanks Angela for taking the time to help me through a difficult day!

My yard is looking great! My small garden keeps growing! Kaz's bedroom is almost complete & I just need to spend a little more time inside my house cleaning. The weather is so nice right now that I am outside as much as possible. My goal is to get as many projects done as possible so that when Kaz gets here we will be in maintenance mode.(Just doing what is necessary & nothing more for at least 6 months.) It sounds good but how well it will work is yet to be determined.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting!!!!!

2008-05-22T12:12:00.002-04:00
Do you know the song that goes, "Rolling, Rolling, Rolling" well that is what is stuck in my head except with the words WAITING. I have been waiting half the time it took me to get my dossier ready but it seems soooo much longer. I guess when I was preparing the dossier there was always the next thing that needed to be done & for the most part I knew how long it would take. Now I have noooo control & my dossier may move & I may not even know for days or weeks until someone decides to notify me. In February, when I sent off my dossier, I was told I could travel in a couple of months so I guess that timeline is out. I think it is taking two months just to get through the Consulate.

The thing about all of this is that I am at peace & I really do not care how long it takes. I know so unlike me!!!!
I really wanted to travel while Kylie was out of school so that it would be easier on her but I really do not like it hot especially without any AC that I can turn down. (Florida doesn't count because I can turn down the AC when I am not in the boat)

I have come to realize that delays & slowdowns happen for a reason & I may not know what that reason is today but eventually it will be revealed. I am not a religious person but I am a spiritual one & I do believe there is a HIGHER POWER who may be on a different timeline than the one I would prefer. The end result is what counts & I have been waiting for over 6 years to add a child to our family so I should have the patience to wait for this, also.

Of course, I could not look at all of this so calmly if it were not for the peace I feel about adopting from Kaz & knowing that I am in good hands with my agency.
Plus I am still working on my TO DO LIST.

I have decided to add a few things to my list. One is I want to ride my horse more. I know when Kaz comes home I will not ride much so I am making it a priority for now. Kylie & I rode last weekend & I really enjoyed it!!!!!

Fun Facts About Kazakhstan

2008-05-16T09:04:00.003-04:00

Kaz is the 9th largest country in the world.

1917-1991 Kaz was one of the republics in Russia.

The country is divided into 14 regions called oblasts.

Oral (Uralsk) one of the regions is in both Europe & Asia.

Almaty is the largest city. It is named after the apple trees that have grown in the area since early times. "Alma" is the Kazakh word for apple.

Astana is the capital.

Commodore Baikonur (located in the Kyzlorda oblast) launched Soviet & Russian cosmonauts into space.

Language

Kazakh the official language has been written in three different alphabets: Arabic, Roman, & Cyrillic. Most people speak Russian.

The literacy rate is 99%.

Misc

National Bird is the golden eagle.

Dombra is the national instrument.
It is a 2 stringed instrument with a long neck and a short round body.

Yurt is the traditional dwelling used by the Kazakh nomads. It consists of three parts; "kerege" the extensible trellis base, "uky" the dome made of poles, and "shanyrak" a round top. It can be assembled or disassembled in less than an hour.

Food

"Beshbamak" or five fingers is a Kazakh dish that is traditionally eaten with your hand. It is made with lamb or mutten, noodles, and onions.

"Plov" is a Uzbek dish made of fried rice and meat.

"Pelmeny" is a russian dish which is a meat pie.

"Ulghur manty" is a dumpling filled with ground meat, onion, and pumpkin.

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

2008-05-10T21:45:00.004-04:00

I am wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day! Just think next year this time, hopefully we will all have our kids home with us. I know we all are looking forward to that day & I hope it comes sooner than later. If you already have kids then give them lots of hugs & kisses & be thankful God has given you the opportunity to be a MOM. Enjoy your day!!!!!

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us when adversity takes the place of prosperity when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."--Washington Irving

Need GPS In Paper Clips!!!!!

2008-05-07T19:39:00.005-04:00

I wish I had placed a GPS on my dossier before sending it off. Just think inside a paper clip, we could install a small GPS so that we could track all movement. Of course it would take all the fun out of waiting & checking emails but it certainly would be cool!!!!!!

No News!!!!!

Sounding The Alarm

2008-04-27T10:01:00.004-04:00

The fire alarm went off last night or I should say this morning at 2:30am. Not the one in our house but the one in our village. Yes, every time there is a fire or car accident a loud siren bellows throughout the community. ( A dear 80 something year old woman walks across the street & sounds it.) It is tradition & I wonder if any one will do it when she is unable. I am sure that the houses located close to the firehouse hope not. I live 1/2 mile away & it wakes me from a dead sleep!!!!

Anyway, my neighbors house just across the street from me was the cause. They live in a hundred year old house. Last summer it was rewired because of concern about the electricity. The new wires caused the fire in the walls but all the humans & animals survived. We had a new house guest for the rest of the night. One of their dogs came & slept with Kylie. You know I am a sucker for the neighborhood dogs. This dog barks at me everyday when I take my walk but last night she ran out of the house & straight to me. OHHHHHH!!!!!!!

So I was thinking it would be nice to have a siren for any new adoption news. A siren could bellow from my computer whenever some one posted some good news about their adoption. I love to hear updates especially if it is good news. Of course it may need to be time sensitive because I really do not love being awaken in the middle of the night/morning!!!!!

I think different PAP's do a great job of keeping me updated. I love the support & information that I get from other AP's & PAP's. I hope this continues!!!!!!

Angela keep up the good work on sounding the adoption siren!!!!

Update: My dog is back from the vet & just had kennel cough. My new carpet is in & so far Kylie's room is the only one back in order. I will be busy this week!!!

HouseKeeper 911

2008-04-25T11:54:00.002-04:00
I do not need Nanny 911 but I sure could use Housekeeper 911. I found out last night at 8:00 that our new carpet would be here this morning. Basically we had to move 3 bedrooms plus closets into the rest of our house. It is crazy!!!! Then at 9:00 am they called & said it would be after lunch before they get here. I hope they finish today, but I seriously doubt it.
This is like moving!!!! At least I hope to spring clean & get rid of some junk.

This week I have been busy. My family from NY is here. I have had my tetanus shot & Hep A & B. My arm is still sore from the tetanus. Also Kylie went & got a few vaccinations, but she was not happy about it. Today I went & had lab work for routine checkup & I have had to drop my dog off at the vet. She has had a little cough & she is sooooo bad with the vet that I was hoping it would get better on it's own but it didn't. She was shaking from fear when I left her & I felt so bad. She has only been away from home once & that was when she was fixed. I hope the Vet calls soon with good news!

At least I am working on my TO DO LIST!!!!!

Dossier On The Move To NY!!!!!

2008-04-22T10:56:00.003-04:00
Yesterday I went & picked up the medical license renewal from Joby's Dr. & faxed it to WPA. So my dossier should be on the way to NY, finally. I am hoping it does not take a long rest but passes through quickly.

I think the recommended stay is 60 days in NY. I have seen some timelines where the dossier only stayed a couple of weeks. I am not sure what determines the length of stay. I have read that some agencies have a fee to expedite it but WPA is not one of them. It seems strange that different agencies have different policies. I know some require pictures at the time of dossier submission but WPA does not & some require the medical license to be notarized & apostilled.

I am waiting for the next step!!!!!!

Beautiful Adoption Video

2008-04-20T10:09:00.005-04:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhqJYOYcnAU

This video makes me so emotional!!!!
I realize that someone is sacrificing for my family. Someone is hurting & my family will be rejoicing. My family is expanding & someone's family is missing a member .
While I complain about the process & all the paperwork, someone's heart is hurting & breaking.
I am benefiting from someone's misfortune. So yes, it puts the process in prospective & makes me realize that no matter how much paperwork I do or how many times I am delayed, I am still
lucky to be apart of the process. I am not the one sacrificing, really!!!!!!

Of course, the unknown is scary. I feel unsure & fearful sometimes that our boy will not come home. Many things can go wrong with international adoption and my heart and my families' hearts would be broken. These feelings are real and everyone is entitled to feel them.

I will try not gripe about the delays or the paperwork because in the end it is a small price to pay for the opportunity to expand my family.

2008-04-17T08:35:00.002-04:00

Only a few more days before dossier will be sent to Consulate. FINALLY!
Although our dossier has been resting, we have not. We are checking off the TO-DO list but it seems like another item appears in the place of the checked off one. How does that happen?
I have been a little (no lot) slack about learning Russian. It is hard!
I did get the new mortgage letter from my real estate agent & am sending it to be apostilled.
Kaz's room has been spring cleaned & new blinds are hung. It is going to get new carpet next week. I may paint it.
Joby finished new floor in Rental house & it looks so good.
My dad took a few of Kylie's art projects to get framed. I can't wait to get them back. She is really good!
My oldest document in my dossier is the FBI fingerprints & I have already sent them in twice because I forgot to request the procedure letter the first time. Does anyone know how long they are good before they expire? My FBI letter & print card are dated Oct. 24,2007. I have one more fingerprint card left so I guess I can still use it if I need to update. Does the paperwork ever end?

Today is my birthday!!! We have been celebrating all week. On Sunday, Joby asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I said I wanted him to spend the day with me and buy me whatever I wanted all day long. So Tuesday we went off for the day, & the only thing I bought was lunch. We had so much fun though! Today he is going to try again. I really do not want anything special but it is fun making him shop. We even looked at a new car,(now thats a big birthday present) but I am getting the best present of all this year,hopefully!!!!

Dossier On Vacation!!!!

2008-04-14T12:06:00.004-04:00

The Doctor has renewed his medical license but the medical board hasn't sent him a new license yet. He probably will not get it until next week so we are on hold for another week. Our dossier has been relaxing for over a month now. It is time for it to get moving!!!!! I am not upset because I think maybe our boy isn't ready yet but it is aggravating. I was worried about getting our LOI before June and now it may still be at the Embassy come June.

I do want my boy to be able to stick his foot in a little salt water so I hope he comes before the water temperature goes down. He may not like it if it is November or December & I don't want to traumatize him. I guess if it is that late we can always take him to the Keys. I think Daddy is planning a BOYZ trip this winter but Kaz may have to tag along. He must love Salt Water to be in this family!!!!

Obsessed!!!!

2008-04-12T09:57:00.002-04:00

Since beginning this great adventure, I have become obsessed with timelines & adoption blogs. I am wondering what I needed with a computer or Internet before starting the adoption process.

Since starting the process, I have been worried that we would need to travel before June. This would have put Joby in a non compliance mode. (His busiest season is May) He is busy with work in the summer but he agreed to be flexible except the month of May. Since we have been on hold for 3 weeks I guess all the worry has hit the road.

I have been checking blogs to see how long it takes to get thru the Consulate. It looks like last year everyone was moving faster. I have seen 20-30 days. This year it seems to take a little longer. My agency's timeline says to allow 60 days but I think it can even take longer now.

I really want Kylie to go with us at some point to Kaz. I think it would be a great educational opportunity but also I think it is important for her and her relationship with Kaz. I want him to always feel proud of his birth in Kazakhstan & I want her to feel a connection to Kazakhstan, too.

I think Kazakhstan slows down at some point in the summer, almost like it does around the Christmas holidays. I really do not mind the waiting but I hate the not knowing. If I was told I could not travel until October, I would be okay because I could plan but not being able to plan drives me crazy!!!!!

Names

2008-04-11T19:21:00.006-04:00

We have a hard time in deciding a name, normally. Kylie's name was not decided until after she was born. We had a deal, I could name a boy & Joby could name a girl but we couldn't use a name either of us really disliked. While we were dating I informed Joby that I would name a girl Lane, after my maternal grandmother & a boy would be Ansell after my paternal grandfather. He could pick the other name & it could be either a first or middle name. I can compromise! Anyway, I really liked the name Kylie Lane for a girl although my first choice would have been Joby Lane & called her Laney. Joby said, No! ( Lane happens to be Joby's middle name also which is a weird coincidence) Joby liked another name which just didn't fit into my name game but I didn't hate it. We really never decided on a boy name so I guess it was a good thing she came as a girl. I had a C-Section with Kylie & when I awoke, he told me we had a little red headed girl named Kylie & I was so happy!!!
Kylie went to preschool and said her name started with a P because we all called her Pooh especially my dad. He hardly ever calls her Kylie. We now call her Poodle so maybe she didn't really need a proper name.

We have had 5 miscarriages. Our second came one week after finding out we were having a boy. We had just started talking about names when he was born at 20 weeks. Joby named him JoBoy and I added Walker as his middle name. We also had JoBaby at 18weeks.

Believe it or not after having all these problems with names we have decided on a name for Kaz but we have disagreed on how to spell it. Kylie wants to decide that but at least he will have a name.
It will have Ansell in it but I will leave the rest as a surprise!!!!!

What is the shortest time a dossier can be at the Consulate in NY? I know it is usually there for 60 days but can it leave before then?