10 Months Old!

So actually the little man turned 10 months old yesterday but I didn't manage to get around to updating the blog. I can't believe that we've been home for 3 weeks and that we've known him since he was 7 months old! Time does fly. Parenthood is everything everyone said it would be: rewarding, joyful, challenging and exhausting!

When our adoption coordinator told us that we would forget all about the wait once we got our baby I didn't believe her. Turns out it is true - but no one could have convinced me of that at the time.

At night I think about all the different things that I want to write on the blog but in the light of day I forget all of those witty remarks. Bedtime comes a lot earlier than it used to - I'm in bed by 9:30 at the latest. Kurt still pushes it but it's painful for both of us in the morning especially when Serik has a bad night - which are thankfully few and far between. Serik was under the weather and took a few long naps and was down for the night at 6:30 tonight which allowed me to have my guilty tv viewing pleasure in solitude (since Kurt isn't due back from his work trip 'til about 8:30). That's another thing that has changed - the tv addict that I was (several hours a night) has been reduced to viewing tv about 4 hours a week.

Every day Serik keeps developing - and has stood unassisted a few times (though for seconds at a time) and always wants to walk (with some help). No more sitting still for this guy unless he's got some challenging puzzle in his hands.

Our house is coming along - we're down to punch list items now which is a huge relief. I've gotten back to work - slowly but surely - finishing manuscripts, getting in new scouting submissions and auditioning for different projects. Kurt is back on the road but tries to only be gone for one or two nights max.

We've been keeping in touch with our travel partners the Brabsons as well as the Lloyds in Texas. It's great to hear how their little ones are doing and progressing. The weather here in MN is supposed to be below '0' from Friday evening until Monday a.m. - 60 hours of some very cold weather - reminiscent of our time in Astana, KZ.

Kurt and Serik (happy after a few tears), Serik with the Stansberry kids, Serik with Lori and Cam

Clean Bill

I've been meaning to update the post for a while now but somehow life gets in the way. We had our appointmnet at the International Adoption Clinic at the U of M today and Serik passed all of his developmental tests with flying colors. Turns out he's achieving milestones that most kids achieve more toward 11 months. Our little overachiever!

He's standing and only holding on with one hand, walking holding our hands and pulling up on anything and everything he can get his hands on.

Thought I'd post a few pics of our homecoming and of Serik with his friends Isabel and Emmett.

Doesn't Serik look like one of those animated Rankin Bass Christmas characters (the one in the high chair)? Like maybe from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'?

One week down - 18+ years to go

What a week! To say that it was exhausting would be an understatement! It took a good 5 days for us to get to feeling 'normal' after we returned home. I was very thankful for the help of Kurt's mom and then my parents and sister who came to visit. Got some of the-all-impotant things taken care of: hair colored, facial - you know - the important things. Well important for my sanity anyway.

Had an audition for Becker Furniture World and am on hold for it - which means I'm a definite maybe. Trying to get back into the swing of things - work and social life. It's a bit of a challenge mentally and physically to get up, showered and dressed so consequently the showering and dressing has pretty much fallen by the wayside. I make it into sweater sweats but that's about it. Did get into jeans a few times to try and head out and about with the boy. First was after we'd dropped my folks off at the airport - funny though - shops don't open until 10. Don't they know that i have a baby to work around?!

Did manage to get a calendar for 2007...will see how filled (or unfilled it is) for the coming yea. Serik has been great and has been sleeping from 8-6:30 or as was the case over the past two nights 7:30-7:30 - the problem with this is that he naps once from 11-1 and is an insane man by about 4pm. UGH!

Today we hit Costco so that I could get the oh-so-useful jumbo packs of diapers and wipes. Turns out they also have huge boxes of organic baby food and children's tylenol - whohoo- hit the jackpot. Guess the Costco membership will finally pay off. Can't believe i'm talking about Costco after all the exotic excitement of Kazakhstan....ah well.

Serik thought it was great fun riding in the cart and wanted mom to go faster and faster. The fun, however, quickly wore off and by the end of the trip he had had enough of all the bulk crap and just wanted to be held and get out of dodge. Kurt played in the national pond hockey championships and I was mighty glad he got home when he did. He called as Serik was melting down (no nap remember) and couldn't understand what the problem was - mind you he was calling from the 'beer garden' at the championships so he was in no real rush to come home. I - on the other hand - was like, 'get your butt back here and stop asking silly questions.'

Since Kurt has been on the road for the past three days it falls on daddy to put him to sleep tonight and I am able to update the blog. It's nice to be home, nice to be getting back on schedule (both us and Serik) and nice to be seeing all our friends and family.

We made it!!

As I'm sure you've all figured out we made it home!! Have been sooooo tired the past several days and haven't had a chance to update the blog. Sorry to those of you who have checked and been disappointed.

Here's the update: Serik decided that he only wanted to take two 30min naps on the 7 and a 1/2 hour flight from Almaty to Amsterdam - nice. KLM was wonderful and gave him a little basinet to play in on the floor in front of us. We thankfully flew business class so we had some room. They also gave us a parting igft - bottle of champagne as congrats on our adoption. Nice - but it was promptly taken away by the extra security we had to go through at the gate for our flight from Amsterdam to Mpls.

That leg was exhausting and the attendants were total bitties. We weren't allowed to use a basinet on the floor for him, he wasn't allowed to crawl around on the floor in front of us, wasn't allowed to stand on the floor in front of us and hold onto our seats - nothing. This made for a very unhappy little boy who decided that he would be tired and cranky and not sleep until 6 hours into the flight home - ugh. I walked up and down the aisle of biz class getting looks from this one attendant who was like " you really should be sitting down with him the capt. has the seat belt sign on" and " you're making me so nervous walking around with him". I was like - lady if we take a nose dive I promise I won't sue - the kid is just miserable (and so are his parents) so cut us some slack and let us walk him to sleep. He finally fell asleep - and it was then that he had his first celebrity sighting....

Well he was sighted by a celeb - Serik was sleeping at the time. Here's the deal - Finally got hime down and this guy comes out of the bath room and looks at him sleeping on the chair next to me (we ended up having the two seats across the aisle open so Kurt moved into one of them so Serik could have a make shift bed). He smiles down at him - like awwww he's finally asleep - smiles at me - I smile back and off he walks to his seat. Well it dawned on me that it was 'Luke' from 'Luke and Laura' on General Hospital. Now given, he has a new 'do - not the fun fro from the 80s. So I said to Kurt that was Luke from Luke and Laura and Kurt's says - ' no way'. So Kurt does this little 'ahhh - I have to turn and pop my back and inconspicuously look over my shoulder' - he then says ' "you're right". Please - let's not doubt my skills in the celebrity department. Everyone knows that I'm a walking encyclopedia of random knowledge - especially if it pertains to celebs!

We got to Minneapolis and zoomed off the plane first and flew through customs. The stamp came down on Serik's Kazak visa and he was officially a US citizen. We then got our bags super quick and went down to head to the normal baggage claim to meet whomever would be there. As it turns out we had a pretty good crowd of friends and family with signs, balloons, hats etc. We all immediately started crying - so good to be home and to feel all that love and support.

Serik was a big hit - especially with Trenty (our friends little 3 year old) who wanted to hold him all the time. Every time he stopped holding him he would pitch a fit and start crying and say ' I want to hold the baby!!"

Finally got home - was absolutely exhausted for a couple of days and Serik has decided that he wants to be up from 1-4 am the past couple of nights. It was better last night and am hoping that he will slowly be getting back on a normal schedule. My parents and sister came in last night and it's been nice to have extra hands to entertain little man while we try to get the house in order. Kurt's mom has been a huge help with that and helping with Serik the first 2 days we were home.

Off to run errands to continue with settling in. More later

Dasvidonia

Well - that's all folks.... at least for this journey to Kaz. I can hardly believe that in 12 hours we'll be getting on a plane bound for Amsterdam and then ultimately the US. I happy and sad at the same time. As hard as it was to be away for 8+ weeks it was an amazing adventure that I know I'll always fondly remember. This is where we became a family.

Today we met up (that's Gulbanu and Aizhan with Serik in the picture above) with the Brabsons for lunch at Bisquit and then went to the 'sisters' office to finalize last details (money). We then walked across the street to the Embassy - had our exit interview (so not what I expected as it was through a glass teller window) and got all of Serik's paperwork including his Kazakh passport and US Visa. He'll become an American citizen as soon as we touch ground in the U.S.!!

There were several other families with the sisters (and so I assume WPA) and it was neat to see their children and hear where they were heading.

After the Embassy the Brabsons and the Hammonds went for a celebratory drink at a Japanese restaurant at the RamStore mall.

Saying good-bye to the Brabsons was sad as they were fabulous travel partners - we couldn't have asked for better. We will miss seeing them and little Katerina everyday but are planning to keep in touch and try to visit.

We headed home to finish packing - just a few last things to throw in before we head out the door in the a.m. Sasha is picking us up at 5 a.m. for an 8:10 a.m. flight so we'll have some time to kill in the Almaty airport.

Looking forward to introducing everyone to the most fabulous part of our family...and yes we will continue the blog - not everyday but we will continue.

Onward and upward as they say. Thanks for all the love and support you have shown us during this journey. Love to all!!

These pics are of leaving the Bisquit Cafe...good Cappucinos for anyone heading over.

Chimbulak Mountain

Just a quick post today since I'm tired and both boys are already asleep - need to take advantage of my sleep time too. Went to the clinic today - Serik's on antibiotics for his finger which is better - but since it's been infected for so long she wants him on them. Kurt is on antibiotics too - something about the rattle in his lungs - nice.

Kurt was tired of sitting in the apartment so he joined us for a trip to the area's ski resort. A twisty road up out of Almaty that passed a speed skating oval (used for public skating when we drove by) and ended at the 'resort'. Smaller operation with one chair divided into 3 sections and a t-bar. Take a close look at the trail map sign - trails are marked for beginners, confident skiers and professionals. We checked it out and had lunch there - Serik's first meal at a ski area lodge. We're slowly breaking him in. That expedition took a couple of hours and we spent the late afternoon chilling at the apartment. Well chilling is the wrong word - more like roasting in the apartment. In Astana the apartment was warm but you could control the radiators - not here. I'm typing this in a tank top and shorts and the sweat is dripping off of me. No wonder little man is annoyed by this place - he's always a sweaty mess and can't cool off. Us too.

Tomorrow is our last day in Kazakhstan - we'll meet the Brabsons for lunch and then it's off to our Embassy appt. Maybe a few quick souvenir shops after that - although Kurt wants to see Panfilov park and the Cathedral in person so maybe we'll do that too. Hard to believe it's coming to an end but easy to believe at the same time.

See - he's ready to hit the slopes!

Sunday in Panfilov Park

Little man slept better last night - only woke up from 2:15-2:45 and then was up shortly after 7 which gave mom some better sleep. Kurt went to bed at 8:3o last night and spent the day in the apartment alternating between sleeping and catching up on his e-mail - he's glad we have a follow up appt tomorrow for Serik since he needs to be seen too. I bundled Serik up after an early lunch and out we went to meet up with Linda and Scott - my partners in sight-seeing crime. We met up at Panilov Park a pretty park with many things to check out. The entrance has a statue and some older Russian insignia on the walls. Our first stop was to check out the Russian/Kaz war memorial - it's a huge sculpture that looks like its been carved out of stone but I'm sure it's cast in some metal. Nearby is the eternal flame much like we have in the U.S.

From there we walked to the Cathedral of the Holy Ascension, a Russian Orthodox church. I had seen pics of this and wanted to make sure that we got to see it in person. It's absolutely beautiful - and as it happens we were there on the Russian Orthodox Christmas so there were alot of worshipers heading in and out. Outside there was the Nativity cresh set up and people were praying in front of it. It was interesting to see how they would stop and cross themselves and bow at each icon inside that they worshipped at (see pics) as well as before entering and leaving the church.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the town - checked out the Tsum, the Silk Way (shopping Centers) and I was able to get discs of the songs that we've been hearing all over Kaz (Russian and Kaz artists). We tried to find a little restaurant that Linda had heard about but ended up in a little Kaz/Russian cafe that was decked out with a giant tree. Towards the end of the afternoon we hunted down a rug store for Linda and Scott - literally in the bowels of some random building - you would never know where it was if you weren't specifically looking for it and had the address. Looks like they'll buy a Kaz dream quilt. We might get one - they're used (or were) to hang in the yurts.

Tomorrow after the doc appt. we are planning to drive up to the mountains - there's a bit of a resort or something there to check out. It's about 40 minutes away - we'll see how everyone is feeling. Tuesday is our embassy appt and then we're out of here on Wed. a.m. (Thu 8pm your time CDT) - woohoo!

The pics at right are of the interior of the cathedral. They're not great b/c 1. we weren't supposed to take pics inside so I was trying to not be noticed and 2. I didn't use the flash.

Scott helping with Serik at lunch - huge help - note the tree in the background.

A few random thoughts: Almaty is-as we'd heard - much prettier than Astana. Mature trees, character to the buildings, and not half as cold and windy. It's practically balmy here compared to Astana. That being said - Astana was nice and when it's all built (I could count no less than 20 cranes from our apt window) it should be really nice - esp. in summer.
Also - will be soooo nice to have water that doesn't scald you - they have no water safety features that only allow the water to get so hot. It's ridiculous how many times I've scalded myself. Well off to bed - little man went down at 7:20 - let's hope he stays down!

Saturday in the park...

Well - more like Saturday on the mountain. After a very long night - very, very long night - we all got up around 8:30. Little man just did not want to sleep. Probably got way too over stimulated yesterday with all the running around and no proper naps. So today we got up - fed him and then got him down for an hour and 15 min. nap around 10:45am. Kurt was beat and is not feeling well (thinks he might have bronchitis or pneumonia - and anyone who knows him knows he has to really be feeling like crap to say something like that and be willing to take meds) so I bundled Serik up after lunch and loaded him into the stroller (the Brabsons have an extra one from their apt) and went to meet Linda and Scott for a ride up the mountain on a cable car. By the time I met up with them we had lost and found a boot - 2x and I was sweating from pushing him uphill with a backpack on. The mountain we went up was one of the smaller mountains but it provided a lovely view of the surrounding peaks of Almaty - where most of the mountains are about 4000 meters (not sure of the conversion to feet but thinking it's around 10,000 -11,000ft). The view of the city itself is blocked by a lovely layer of smog - just like LA. Can't see anything of the city - don't know if it would be different in the a.m instead of the afternoon but regardless you just had to look up not down to really enjoy the view. Also at the top they had a small animal zoo for kids, kids play ground (in summer), a grill, and a yurt where you could get tea etc. We checked out the animals - fallow deer (new to me), golden pheasant (again different than at home) and then peacocks. I know those are not indigenous and wonder how the heck they survive up there. We then went to the yurt and had tea - so good here with milk and sugar. The kids were pretty beat and after a small meltdown as we were leaving Serik slept all the way down the mountain, through the slush covered streets of Almaty and finally over some snow banks and up three flights of stairs to home. Yes I carried him asleep in the stroller over the snow bank and up the stairs - the whole shooting match -good for the biceps and the little man needs to sleep more. He slept for another hour at home still in the stroller all bundled up. Oh forgot to mention...

When we were waiting to get on the cable car on the way up these Kaz women started telling me that Serik needed to be bundled up more. Mind you he was in a snow suit, 2 hats plus a hood, boots, and had 2 blankets around him plus a scarf over his face. They said that I should wrap the blankets not just over his legs like I had done but also over his boots. I wasn't sure what they were getting at and their daughter tried to help translate but finally one of the women just did what she wanted to him so that he was appropriately bundled - that included me lifting him out of the stroller so she could arrange his blankets to her liking. Whatever. It was no skin off my back. Interesting though that she then asked where we were from (most people think England or France)and what we were doing in Almaty. We said we had been visiting friends in Astana - half truth right?! That we were just going to be in Almaty for a few days as a stopover on the way home. She then wanted to know what city we like better. Followed by questions about the babies. Were they boys or girls, how old, was Serik my son, where was my husband (doma speet - home sleeping)? You get the pic - but then it was the fingers to the eyes in the oh so not p.c. way - pulling them on herself as she was asking if my husband was Asian b/c obviously I wasn't and Serik is. I just nodded. She did the same to Scott and Linda and we weren't sure if she said that Katerina had Linda's eyes or that she didn't. Kat looks more Eurasian than Serik. Anyway - it was interesting.

Our apartment phone doesn't seem to want to let us call out with our i-cards so to our family excuse the lack of calls. Tomorrow we're planning on checking out some cathedrals, mosques, and shopping. Kurt may join if he's feeling up to it. He went to bed shortly after Serik. More later.

Above are the underground street crossings (the opposite of the skyways), looking down on Almaty and the view at the top looking up.
Golden pheasant at right heading into the hen house.

Almaty - Updated

We made it to Almaty without a hitch. It was hard saying good-bye to Karina's family and of course the water works were flowing (no surprise to anyone who knows me). The ended up accompanying us to the airport so we were able to say a final good-bye at the gate. We are so very thankful for all the kindness that they showed us.

As for the flight - Serik was pretty good. Poor kid was so off his schedule and was very tired. He cried a bit before take off and we fed him and started his bottle. We gave him the rest of the bottle on take-off and he was fine. He fell asleep for the last half of the flight and again in the car to the apartment. Yesterday we got up and went to the clinic to get him checked out - all good save for his infected finger tip and a small cold. They also did an HIV test, ht, wt and checked out the ears, nose and throat. He weighs 21.9 lbs. and is 28 1/2 inches long. Growing everyday. Went by the sisters office to sign some forms for the embassy appointment and then to the Ramstore to get a few things that we had forgotten the night before. In the afternoon we loaded Serik into the snowsuit and the Baby Bjorn and set out to meet up with Scott,Linda and Katerina Zhana. We managed to find them (had to no idea which way to orient the map and the local police at the traffic intersections were not much help) and we set off to find a coffee shop we had seen and heard about. It's called Bisquit (but obviously in Russian) and we each had 2 cappucinos along with other goodies (crepes, torte and a fruit salad for me). The kids were doing well so we walked around a bit and Serik napped in the Bjorn. Had dinner at Mad Murphy's and were hoping the Lloyds would meet up with us but we didn't see them (Jamie and Geena - if you're reading this we have had a problem with the i-card and the phone but try to call us on our cell or apt number 2727832 or 73332801702). Food was good and the company was better. Serik slept like crap last night - no exaggeration. He went down at 8 up at 9:30, up at 12, up at 3:30 until 5 and then finally asleep until 8:30. Trying to get him down for a nap now so we can sight see in the afternoon. Dad's trying to nap too - neither of us got any sleep - obviously. Enjoy the pics from yesterday.

Above is the Science Academy, Bisquit Cafe, and random buildings in Almaty.