We made it! Hoooommmeeee! We got into Memphis about 6:30 pm on Sunday! To say the least, we were all very exhausted but pushed through the 27 hours of travel, slept when we could, and ate when the airline gave us food. My poor baby only slept for 4 hours during the entire travel time so that meant Mama only got 4 hours as well. But, it was all worth it to be able to get home. We were met by all my wonderful friends and Alina's playmates at the airport. They had a welcome home sign and balloons, gifts, and lots of hugs, kisses, and tears of joy for us. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces. These people not only met us at the airport, but cleaned up the house and stocked our cupboards with food so we didn't have to go to the market right away. Mom and Dad were overwhelmed by how many came to the airport to welcome us home. I told them, "Yep, those are MY peeps!!!" Thanks to you all. It really meant alot to all of us. You truly are like family to Alina and me.
Mom and Dad went back today. I wish they would have stayed another day or so but I understand that they have to get back to the business. I just hope they take it easy for the next few days and catch up on some sleep and rest. God Bless 'um!!!
Alina is such a trooper. She has slept in her own room by herself for the past 2 nights. She has awakened a few times and all I have to do is take her to the bathroom (at my request) and just lay her back down, pat her on the back a few times and off to sleep she will go again. She is just know showing a little warriness due to the time change and everything but I think by the end of the week, we will have that nipped in the bud. This little spitfire is amazing! She loves her room, her books, her bed, AND, to our surprise, her new art activity desk that Grandpa made and Grandma painted and detailed. I had seen this online and I ran off the specs and showed it to Dad. I thought he wouldn't have it done until we got back from Kaz but they got it finished before their trip and delivered it when they came to the house to leave for Kaz! It's perfect and just what I wanted for Alina! My parents are amazing and they love their new granddaughter! She loves them too! She's really warmed up to Mom and she's working her way to warming up to Dad. I give it another month or so and she'll be just as attached to him as Mom.
That's all for now. I'm taking advantage of Alina's nap time to write. I'm still working on the other blog posts. Hopefully I can get those posted soon. I'll try to post some pics soon as well.
Cheers,
Kim and Alina....finally home from Kaz and lovin' it!!!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Alive and Doing Well!!
Dear Family and Friends,
Thanks to ALL who have sent emails of concern to me. Everything is going very well! Mom, Dad, and I are over our colds. Dad's throat is still sore but he has medicine for it.
As Marcia said, we are in Almaty right now waiting on the last bit of Alina's paperwork to be completed at the US Embassy. That should be all done by Friday. We will start heading toward the US of A on Sunday, Sept. 27!!! All of us are sooo ready to sleep in our own beds, take a shower in our own bathrooms, and eat some familiar food to say the least.
Alina is adjusting well...it's Mom, Dad, and I who are having to do most of the adjusting! She is a happy little munchkin who weighs exactly 30 lbs and is 2'11.8" tall according to the SOS International Clinic here in Almaty. She never stops moving...she's a little tornado...even in her sleep. She certainly doesn't miss the orphanage but is sort of missing her playmates. We are having to establish some new rules and get rid of some old bad habits but other than that, she's a little spitfire that is lighting up all our lives at the moment! She certainly loves her Mama and she is getting to know her Ata and Aje. She could outeat and outdrink the largest Sumo wrestler in the world! My baby does love her food!
I am working on the detailed posts that I owe everyone so don't fret! I'll try to post them when we get home and get settled (You will cry your eyes out on the Gotcha Day post). This will be the last post until next week. Just know that all of us appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, and good vibes everyone has sent our way.
Love to all,
Kim and Alina
PS. I've officially changed my name to Mama...mama...mama...mama...mama...mama...and mama!!!
Thanks to ALL who have sent emails of concern to me. Everything is going very well! Mom, Dad, and I are over our colds. Dad's throat is still sore but he has medicine for it.
As Marcia said, we are in Almaty right now waiting on the last bit of Alina's paperwork to be completed at the US Embassy. That should be all done by Friday. We will start heading toward the US of A on Sunday, Sept. 27!!! All of us are sooo ready to sleep in our own beds, take a shower in our own bathrooms, and eat some familiar food to say the least.
Alina is adjusting well...it's Mom, Dad, and I who are having to do most of the adjusting! She is a happy little munchkin who weighs exactly 30 lbs and is 2'11.8" tall according to the SOS International Clinic here in Almaty. She never stops moving...she's a little tornado...even in her sleep. She certainly doesn't miss the orphanage but is sort of missing her playmates. We are having to establish some new rules and get rid of some old bad habits but other than that, she's a little spitfire that is lighting up all our lives at the moment! She certainly loves her Mama and she is getting to know her Ata and Aje. She could outeat and outdrink the largest Sumo wrestler in the world! My baby does love her food!
I am working on the detailed posts that I owe everyone so don't fret! I'll try to post them when we get home and get settled (You will cry your eyes out on the Gotcha Day post). This will be the last post until next week. Just know that all of us appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, and good vibes everyone has sent our way.
Love to all,
Kim and Alina
PS. I've officially changed my name to Mama...mama...mama...mama...mama...mama...and mama!!!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Sooo Far Behind in Posts!!!
Hello all!!! Trying to get Mom and Dad settled and get this baby out of Umit Baby House!!! Today WAS going to be the day BUT Monday was a holiday so no one worked. Thus, our paperwork was pushed back a day. BUT, tomorrow, Thursday, September 10th, is GOTTCHA DAY! I'll try to catch up soon...promise!!
Cheers,
Kim and Alina
Cheers,
Kim and Alina
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Only Two More Visits
The countdown continues. Only two more visits, ie seven days, until Alina comes to the hotel with me and my parents! I should feel soooo excited and I am but I feel kinda numb at the same time. Does that make any sense at all?
The weather has turned quite cool here in Taraz and very quickly I might add. It’s like Memphis fall weather…one day 90’s and the next day 70’s. It’s the changing of the seasons and it totally reeks havoc on my sinuses. I had a bad sinus headache yesterday and spent most of Tuesday on the couch sleeping. I hate this time of year. I so look forward to getting rid of the hot days and the cooling down of the temps but it’s always gets to me. Because it was so cool outside this morning, we didn’t go to the gazebo to play as usual. We went into a room in the orphanage. It was a small room and not much space to move about be we made the best of it. We even got some Mommy and me time alone. Shirin had to go with Janette to do some translating for another adoptive family in Taraz so Alina and I had about half an hour all by ourselves…well, sort of. Everyone who went by the door of our playroom would stop and look in and talk to Alina. I didn’t shut the door because I didn’t know if I was allowed to or not. Again, I feel like there are thousands of eyes on me when I’m there and I’m afraid to do just about anything (but not for too much longer!!!). The director even poked her head in and talked with Alina. I tried to say Hello to her in Kazakh the formal way (salem-metz-ez-bah) but it never comes out the right way. It’s always so jumbled and when I do try to say it and say it wrong, I feel like an idiot. I get so nervous around her. I want so much to make a good impression when she sees Alina and I together. I guess I’m trying to hard and I just need to relax.
I have to vent here for a couple of minutes. Alina wanted to go outside and play but the administration didn’t want us to because it was cool this morning. So, I told Alina she couldn’t go outside. She was upset and started to cry and push and pull at me. I immediately told her to stop (coy). She stopped pushing and pulling but not crying. Well, I was all ready to let her cry it out. She has to learn that she cannot always get what she wants. Well, that didn’t happen. See, the Kazakhs don’t believe in letting a child cry which I think is not a good idea. We were in one of the hallways and not 30 seconds after she started crying, one of the office workers comes up to Alina and starts telling Alina she shouldn’t cry and to walk (I had her sitting on one of the window sills in the hallway). She says some other things (I don’t know what she said) harshly to her and she does stop crying. Of course, I bit my tongue and just went along with it. Ugh! I can’t wait to get out of this baby house! The way they raise the children is NOT the way I want to raise mine and I can’t wait to be able raise my child the way I want!!! Vent closed…for now!
Mom and Dad and I talked via video call again tonight. They will be leaving on Thursday to go to my house. Then, on Friday, Dr. Doug (my former boss) will take them to the airport on Friday (THANKS BIG DADDY DOUGY!!!) at 11:30 am. They will fly out at 3:00 pm for a whopping 36 hour trip to Taraz, Kazakhstan! Twenty three hours in three airplanes, layovers in Denver and Frankfurt, and an eight hour drive from Almaty, Kaz to Taraz. Yes…they are taking the car ride from Almaty to Taraz. I’ve tried to prepare them for the drive. It really is the best way to get them here as fast as possible…safest way?…well let‘s just pray about that one. They will have a driver that will pick them up and deliver them right to the hotel. I know I said I really didn‘t want them to take the car but if they took the train or flew to Taraz, they would have to spend overnight in Almaty with no one to help them. So, again, Janette, my coordinator, is right…so, the car it is. God Bless them! It’s a long haul and an exhausting one but I will be ever so glad to see them on Sunday. And, they will be ever so glad they made the trip. Adrenaline and excitement will keep them going for a little bit on Sunday but I expect them to crash very early on Sunday night. I asked them if they wanted to go see Alina with me on Monday if it is ok with my coordinator. They want to but I did caution them that it’s really hard to leave her at the orphanage but Mom seems to think that it will be ok knowing that we will get her on Wednesday for good. I really don’t think they realize how hard it’s going to be.
Thanks everyone….until Friday….
Smooches and hugs,
Kim and Alina
The countdown continues. Only two more visits, ie seven days, until Alina comes to the hotel with me and my parents! I should feel soooo excited and I am but I feel kinda numb at the same time. Does that make any sense at all?
The weather has turned quite cool here in Taraz and very quickly I might add. It’s like Memphis fall weather…one day 90’s and the next day 70’s. It’s the changing of the seasons and it totally reeks havoc on my sinuses. I had a bad sinus headache yesterday and spent most of Tuesday on the couch sleeping. I hate this time of year. I so look forward to getting rid of the hot days and the cooling down of the temps but it’s always gets to me. Because it was so cool outside this morning, we didn’t go to the gazebo to play as usual. We went into a room in the orphanage. It was a small room and not much space to move about be we made the best of it. We even got some Mommy and me time alone. Shirin had to go with Janette to do some translating for another adoptive family in Taraz so Alina and I had about half an hour all by ourselves…well, sort of. Everyone who went by the door of our playroom would stop and look in and talk to Alina. I didn’t shut the door because I didn’t know if I was allowed to or not. Again, I feel like there are thousands of eyes on me when I’m there and I’m afraid to do just about anything (but not for too much longer!!!). The director even poked her head in and talked with Alina. I tried to say Hello to her in Kazakh the formal way (salem-metz-ez-bah) but it never comes out the right way. It’s always so jumbled and when I do try to say it and say it wrong, I feel like an idiot. I get so nervous around her. I want so much to make a good impression when she sees Alina and I together. I guess I’m trying to hard and I just need to relax.
I have to vent here for a couple of minutes. Alina wanted to go outside and play but the administration didn’t want us to because it was cool this morning. So, I told Alina she couldn’t go outside. She was upset and started to cry and push and pull at me. I immediately told her to stop (coy). She stopped pushing and pulling but not crying. Well, I was all ready to let her cry it out. She has to learn that she cannot always get what she wants. Well, that didn’t happen. See, the Kazakhs don’t believe in letting a child cry which I think is not a good idea. We were in one of the hallways and not 30 seconds after she started crying, one of the office workers comes up to Alina and starts telling Alina she shouldn’t cry and to walk (I had her sitting on one of the window sills in the hallway). She says some other things (I don’t know what she said) harshly to her and she does stop crying. Of course, I bit my tongue and just went along with it. Ugh! I can’t wait to get out of this baby house! The way they raise the children is NOT the way I want to raise mine and I can’t wait to be able raise my child the way I want!!! Vent closed…for now!
Mom and Dad and I talked via video call again tonight. They will be leaving on Thursday to go to my house. Then, on Friday, Dr. Doug (my former boss) will take them to the airport on Friday (THANKS BIG DADDY DOUGY!!!) at 11:30 am. They will fly out at 3:00 pm for a whopping 36 hour trip to Taraz, Kazakhstan! Twenty three hours in three airplanes, layovers in Denver and Frankfurt, and an eight hour drive from Almaty, Kaz to Taraz. Yes…they are taking the car ride from Almaty to Taraz. I’ve tried to prepare them for the drive. It really is the best way to get them here as fast as possible…safest way?…well let‘s just pray about that one. They will have a driver that will pick them up and deliver them right to the hotel. I know I said I really didn‘t want them to take the car but if they took the train or flew to Taraz, they would have to spend overnight in Almaty with no one to help them. So, again, Janette, my coordinator, is right…so, the car it is. God Bless them! It’s a long haul and an exhausting one but I will be ever so glad to see them on Sunday. And, they will be ever so glad they made the trip. Adrenaline and excitement will keep them going for a little bit on Sunday but I expect them to crash very early on Sunday night. I asked them if they wanted to go see Alina with me on Monday if it is ok with my coordinator. They want to but I did caution them that it’s really hard to leave her at the orphanage but Mom seems to think that it will be ok knowing that we will get her on Wednesday for good. I really don’t think they realize how hard it’s going to be.
Thanks everyone….until Friday….
Smooches and hugs,
Kim and Alina
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Countdown Has Begun
Only three more visits to Umit Baby House until I can take my munchkin out of there forever! I can’t believe I’m this close to having Alina with me for the rest of our lives. Only eight teeny tiny more days!!!
I’m so excited that my parents will be arriving Sunday morning. We’ve just started to video call each other and it’s been so good for me and I hope for them too. It’s so different knowing that I’m 7,000 miles away from them than only 420 miles away. We both were commenting on that today. We know we could get to each other if we had to but being only 420 miles away is more comforting than 7,000. This is the furthest apart we’ve ever been and I know they are anxious to get here not only to be with me and to share in this amazing/frustrating/crazy adoption experience but, of course, to be able to meet Alina for the first time and visit her birth country. I’ve been trying to prepare them for a few weeks now as in what to expect and what not to expect. They’ve never been to a foreign country and I just don’t want them to be in too much culture shock. It’s going to be a trip of a lifetime for them just like it has been for me.
The visits to the orphanage are becoming a routine for me. Outside the hotel by 9:15 am, get picked up by Janette and driver, pick up Shirin near her house, arrive at the baby house and go on the hunt for Alina, go to gazebo, snack time, play time, take her back to her group, then leave. I’ve been doing it for almost two months now and I want it to stop. Soon…very soon indeed. I was meet by a weepy little munchkin today. She hasn’t done that in quite a few weeks. It didn’t last long…maybe a minute or so and then all was well. She did tell Shirin that she had missed me. It’s been two days since I visited last because of the weekend. I missed her too but she doesn’t know that in a little over a week, she will be able to see me everyday! I don’t know if she realizes what is going to happen. There will be so much change in her life after this week. I just hope I can help her understand what’s going on. Thank God my parents will be with me to help in these very critical first few days that so much change is happening for her. I don’t know what I would do without them! I could do it alone but I so value their wisdom, help, and guidance. My parents ROCK!!! Alina is so lucky to have such great grandparents!!!!
I’ve made a new friend at the hotel. His name is Fred (a name I gave him). He is about 11 months old, gray/white/black fur, and loves to be petted. Yes, he is a cat. He’s sooo cute and needs to be loved. He’s a street cat but has taken to staying around the hotel because of the outside café. I’m sure he gets plenty to eat hanging out there. He even sleeps on the steps to the hotel. Every morning he’s waiting for me to come out and sit on the bench while I wait for my ride to the orphanage. He’s very friendly and he gets lovin’ while I get my cat fix. I sure am missing my two. I hope they remember their Mama when Alina and I get home.
Things seem to be winding down here. I’ve started having lunch AND dinner with Ave, Vicente, and Maria last week. I still must dedicate an entire post to these two, now three with the addition of the sweet Maria. We have a great time together.
Until Wednesday….
Cheers,
Kim and Alina Jean
Only three more visits to Umit Baby House until I can take my munchkin out of there forever! I can’t believe I’m this close to having Alina with me for the rest of our lives. Only eight teeny tiny more days!!!
I’m so excited that my parents will be arriving Sunday morning. We’ve just started to video call each other and it’s been so good for me and I hope for them too. It’s so different knowing that I’m 7,000 miles away from them than only 420 miles away. We both were commenting on that today. We know we could get to each other if we had to but being only 420 miles away is more comforting than 7,000. This is the furthest apart we’ve ever been and I know they are anxious to get here not only to be with me and to share in this amazing/frustrating/crazy adoption experience but, of course, to be able to meet Alina for the first time and visit her birth country. I’ve been trying to prepare them for a few weeks now as in what to expect and what not to expect. They’ve never been to a foreign country and I just don’t want them to be in too much culture shock. It’s going to be a trip of a lifetime for them just like it has been for me.
The visits to the orphanage are becoming a routine for me. Outside the hotel by 9:15 am, get picked up by Janette and driver, pick up Shirin near her house, arrive at the baby house and go on the hunt for Alina, go to gazebo, snack time, play time, take her back to her group, then leave. I’ve been doing it for almost two months now and I want it to stop. Soon…very soon indeed. I was meet by a weepy little munchkin today. She hasn’t done that in quite a few weeks. It didn’t last long…maybe a minute or so and then all was well. She did tell Shirin that she had missed me. It’s been two days since I visited last because of the weekend. I missed her too but she doesn’t know that in a little over a week, she will be able to see me everyday! I don’t know if she realizes what is going to happen. There will be so much change in her life after this week. I just hope I can help her understand what’s going on. Thank God my parents will be with me to help in these very critical first few days that so much change is happening for her. I don’t know what I would do without them! I could do it alone but I so value their wisdom, help, and guidance. My parents ROCK!!! Alina is so lucky to have such great grandparents!!!!
I’ve made a new friend at the hotel. His name is Fred (a name I gave him). He is about 11 months old, gray/white/black fur, and loves to be petted. Yes, he is a cat. He’s sooo cute and needs to be loved. He’s a street cat but has taken to staying around the hotel because of the outside café. I’m sure he gets plenty to eat hanging out there. He even sleeps on the steps to the hotel. Every morning he’s waiting for me to come out and sit on the bench while I wait for my ride to the orphanage. He’s very friendly and he gets lovin’ while I get my cat fix. I sure am missing my two. I hope they remember their Mama when Alina and I get home.
Things seem to be winding down here. I’ve started having lunch AND dinner with Ave, Vicente, and Maria last week. I still must dedicate an entire post to these two, now three with the addition of the sweet Maria. We have a great time together.
Until Wednesday….
Cheers,
Kim and Alina Jean
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