A cowboy, a princess, a mummy, and one of the three blind mice!

Halloween was amazing, running house to house for candy? This country ROCKS!

Running barefoot, eating ice cream, learning to swim

Our 4-Square!
These are just a few of the fun things we've been watching Nicholas learn to do! It is so amazing, crazy, strange even at times to see a boy this big actually doing some of these things for the first time. Everything thrills him. His eyes open wide and he gets this very Nicky-esque smile. Each day, it seems, he does something new. Today he went on a trampoline for the first time; and a merry-go-round.

He's also getting used to some routine things like going to the "Y." He does great in the kids club with Isabelle, so I'm able to work out a bit. He loves our regular babysitter, Lauren, so I'm able to get some work for WHO done still. Everything is really going better than I ever expected. I mean there are the regular sibling tug-o-wars for Mommy's time or a certain toy, and the busy-ness of summer definitely leaves me ready to collapse into bed, but it is just so amazing that Nicholas is finally here! He's grown an inch, and although his blood work came back with a high level of lead (20), we should see that go down. The health dept does have to do an inspection of the house though. What an awesome country we live in, yes, inspect my house for lead! They will also send a letter which I plan to forward on to the orphanage since it's likely that other kids there are being exposed and have high levels.

I'm including a bunch of photos...out of chronological order because the ones of our last days in Kaz were on the memory card that sunk to the bottom of the pool. The card was fine although the camera drowned.

Lastly, my suitcase arrived back here on my doorstep on July 12th, some of the stuff moldy, including my Russian Phrasebook for Children which I mailed to British Airways with my receipts, as a symbol of the inconvience they caused me. Unreal. I will never fly them again with checked luggage and avoid London at all costs. The terrorists have succeeded in destroying 'normal' life at Heathrow airport. Oh, and they lost my Kaz-purchased stroller on the way home too!

Signing off now. I may post again sometime in the fall. Thank you to all for your love and prayers and support. Oh, along those lines, I memorized and repeated Psalm 23 to myself hundreds of times in Kazakhstan, especially on the flight from Almaty to London. Let's just say Nicholas doesn't fly well. Ok, "hell on wings" might be used to describe the experience. Just before embarking on the London to Chicago flight, I visited the prayer room at Heathrow (big windows looking out at sky and runway) and was practically bawling as I prayed 23 again. I was so excited to go home and suddenly felt so full of God. It was really surreal, a most cool feeling, just before going to our gate. Got to our gate and looked at the big sign "Gate 23" and it struck me that what had sustained me thru so much, was the same gate thru which I was passing to the future, to our lives together, reunited with my family, back home finally, again, after a difficult, but unforgettable time. It was awesome. Thanks for taking the journey with me. (tons of photos below...)


Nicky at the Hyatt in Almaty, one night reprieve and first glass elevator ride.
Nicky at the Hyatt pool, just before drowning camera!
Lines, lines, more lines on the travel home
Finally reunited with the family at O'Hare. Me crying in what has come to be known as my Kaz dress.

First haircut
Lunch time! Goosna (yummy)

At the pool

All smiles

Coming to America

Stephanie and Nicky arrived in Chicago safely late Saturday afternoon. Steph's lost bag never caught up with her and we're hoping that British Airways will reimburse us fully for all the items in it. Nicky was a terror on both legs of the journey, which we're chalking up to all the change he's been through and the long flights.

Here's a shot of Nicky at the International terminal, looking sporty in his warm-ups. We spent Sunday at Church and the pool (Mom skipped swimming and took a nap with Isabelle).


Nicky also got his first US haircut, took his first ride in a convertible and hit the car wash with Dad. Here is photo of Nicky at his first Holland dinner (he slept through last night's dinner).



Stephanie will have a more complete post with her thoughts some time soon... after she's caught her breath from a long and harrowing journey. Thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragement, they really helped pull us through this long ordeal.

Coming Home!

Quick post because I have to get to sleep to make an early flight. Success at the U.S. Embassy today. Nicholas' visa was issued in his Kazakhstani passport and he will become a U.S. citizen upon entry! Next stop: London.

All is well with Nicholas. Tonight he pulled his blankie over me, making sure it was tucked nicely under my neck--it's blue and silky, a gift from Grandma Barbie, sent for him on the first trip. Nicky had it on his little cot for a month at the orphanage before I came back. He's very attached to it and his "sabatchka" (stuffed doggy) that Katrina gave to him from her collection.

We've been playing with Elena, his little friend from the Dosky Dom (orphanage), who will soon be leaving for California with her new Dad. She has not been feeling well, gets terribly carsick, and Nicholas is so sweet to her. It's nice to see that he can get really wound up, but can also be quite gentle.

Here's a photo of cousin Cole. Isn't there a family resemblance? Well, I can't wait to get these good ol' boys together for a little 4-wheelin' and skeet-shootin' at the cabin. Actually that may have to wait. But Aunt/sister Deb is planning to visit with Cole and big sister, Marissa, in August. I can't wait to see the two little guys together!

I miss my girls terribly, just terribly. I'm going to be a bawling mess when I see them, and my dashing, handsome husband, at O'hare. The worst thing about how long adoption takes is the children left at home. Today at the Embassy I met a woman from Salt Lake, adopting a severely handicapped, but very happy, six year old girl. She has 5 kids back home waiting for her. She got the visa today too, so the journey is almost over for them as well. And the best is ahead! Cheerie-o.

Holland Boy: A Chip Off the Old Block

I’m afraid that bloodlines are not the only indication of a child’s true nature. Stephanie validated as much for us yesterday after a trying day with Nicholas in Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan. Let’s just say that our boy tested his boundaries throughout the day. It seemed all was well by the afternoon when Stephanie took her young charge to the pool at the Hyatt, where they were staying for one night of recuperation following 12 days in Ust.

I’m not sure exactly what transpired at the pool… only that it ended with our digital camera at its bottom. This is the second camera claimed by Kazakhstan (the first was dropped, lens first, on the pavement in a park).

This second camera was actually a gift for Sophie, to reward her for outstanding grades (7 A’s and 2 B’s). Lucky for little Nicky that Sophie is 6,481 miles away, or he would have experienced his first big sister beat-down.

But nearly all else is well. Stephanie is still wearing the same clothes she traveled in (they’ll be donated to the Science and Industry museum upon her return). We should have the results of Nicky’s visit to the SOS Clinic any day, and tomorrow Stephanie will take him to the US Embassy for his passport. We’ll need to keep him away from the camera of course, or be forced to use the image above until we can properly restrain the boy.

Those of you who have know me since my youth must find this terribly amusing. It’s nice how things come full circle.

Around town

Walking around Ust is fascinating in many ways. For one, Russians (caucasians) and Kazakhs (asians), as far as I can tell, have totally meshed here. I think I said this in a past post. This is evident not only in the way they all live/work together, but in their features. I can't help but look twice when I see a blue-eyed, jet-black-haired asian man, sitting on the park bench with his red-haired russian wife, and their blond-haired, almond-eyed child!

Anyhow, I don't have many photos of the people because I feel awkward interrupting regular people to take their photos. But there are lots of other surprises here too. Picking thru a dumpster is not just for the homeless (hmm what have my neighbors left for me today). Ok, I did once take a plant that the Philipps' had set out for pick-up, but that's not a habit of mine. Broken side walks and over grown grass adjacent to meticulously maintained, expansive rose gardens. Perfectly ok for a male child to pee into the grass, not ok to step on it. We were reprimanded (army dude blowing whistle at us). Enormous attention paid to fashion--it's like Fashion TV on the streets. Also a photo of a shooting gallery. These are found on neighborhood streets. No idea why. I haven't seen anything other than a policeman pistol since I got here. The photo of the turquoise booklet is Nicholas' birth certificate and next to it, his adoption decree, with his new name: Nicholas Peter Holland (the "h" in Holland is written as an "X" here; the "p" in Peter is the symbol for Pi). The little log cabin in the flowers is a tiny Christian church.

As far as my plans, Sunday night I hope to be at the Hyatt in Almaty for a one-night mental health day. Just FYI, those Brits still haven't gotten me my luggage. I'm such a baby, but feel legitimately sad that I have no gifts to give, rum-pa-pa-pum.

However, I now understand that the lost bag is God looking out for us. The Friday, June 29th flight which was completely sold out (no chance of being done as originally scheduled, on 26th). But since Justin has been calling British Airways daily to find out about the bag, he was able to use the lost bag as leverage for a little special treatment. We have seats on the full flight. I'm always amazed by how I see the verse "What man intends for evil (or just screws up), God uses for good!" Amen.

More photos

In the bath. We have a good evening routine: eat, bath, eat, bed, milk, bed, sleep!



Nicholas loves yogurt, and luckily this word is the same in Russian as in English.



At the park in front of the city's largest mosque.



Writing. Thanks goodness, they've taught him quite a lot at the baby house. And he's a fast learner. His English has already grown exponentially. Some of his words/phrases are: I love you; kiss; counting 1-10 (we practice this on seven flight of stairs in our building); AMERICA (said holding his arms up punctuating the syllables with his fists; comb; socks; milk! and a few others. Oh yeah, he understands, though he doesn't say "wait!" "No" and "stop!"

Photos finally!

Saying goodbye to two of his caregivers. These women are so sweet and work so hard.
Nicholas' "grupa" gathering around him. Now that he has parents, he's like a movie star to them.
Sasha, the boy who was also "shown" to us on that first day when we had to "see" three children to abide by the law. He's so sweet. I hope we can see him in America one day.
This little cutie had fallen on her nose. She so sweet. It's tough tho. On the one hand, I want to tell all my friends to adopt. On the other hand, the agencies and governments make it so difficult, financially and emotionally. The time commitment is huge and sometimes you wonder if it really needs to be this long. After all, I've been basically waiting for a passport since I got here. Do I really need to be here?

I'm thankful for the time with Nicholas, but Isabelle is little too and this is just very, very hard on the whole family. And the "big" girls have gone to and come back from a week at sleep-away camp and I just hate not being there to see their faces all a-glow with the excitement.

Just an update

I can't wait to come home! Just for grins I went to the Air Astana office and made a reservation for Friday morning to get from here to Almaty. It probably won't happen--we're waiting for Nicholas Kazakhstani passport and I've been told it might arrive Thursday, but it could be as late as Monday. Ugh.

Nicholas and I are doing pretty well, tho I have no down time at all. He is very curious about everything and chatters away constantly, like another little someone I know, but I can't undertand most of what he's saying. Right now he's attempting to fold up a map of Kazakhstan, now he's pouring water out of his sippy cup. He can't stand t.v. unfortunately. I haven't been able to get any work done.

We do a lot of walking and just searching for basic things. Got him some fungal lotion for his little toes. The orphanage has them in shoes and socks all the time, and so at first he would start bawling "no spat" (don't want bed)whenever I took them off. He has started to eat more moderately, and is actually leaving food on his plate. This is another post-orphanage milestone. He has learned to pee standing up, like a good ol' American boy. He holds my hand everywhere we go, though today experimented walking for a few yards 'on his own.' He's really good with a ball, throwing especially. And light switches, the amazingness of lights on and off hasn't worn off yet.

I feel really drained tho. Not sure, maybe it's just the lack of a real goal each day. I have never had so little to do or had such a hard time just doing those little things that I do need to do.

He's out and about!

I have to make this a really quick post because Nicholas is doing the dishes--something that keeps him busy for a few moments before he plunges back into the next thing. I picked him up from the Baby House on Saturday. Things have been going really well--he is absolutley precious and precocious! He likes me to rock him to sleep--I'm indulging him since he may never have been rocked quite enough. My first thought this morning after I looked over and saw him sleeping sweetly next to me was about love and how it multiplies exponentially every time a child is added to a family. I just couldn't believe the feeling I had, the same I had at Katrina's birth. I had worried that I couldn't love the second child as much as the first, and then POW--she was born and it was amazing. Rather than having less for each, I had more. It happened again with Isabelle. But surely this miracle couldn't happen with an adopted three year old could it? It did--when I looked over this morning, it just overwhelmed me.

We are having a wonderful time--Nicholas is discovering so much. He's been really naughty twice. Once showing me his teeth with the evidence of the blue crayon he had just eaten, and the second time pouring the entire carton of milk into a small cup. He responded with adequate remorse after a little smack on the hand, so I'm not too worried about it. He's so cute when he's sorry that it's hard to stay mad at all!

Together again!

I was so excited as we got closer to the Baby House. First thing I noticed was a new sign outside, the old one had been torn by the wind last time we were here. It is huge and has a girl holding a teddy bear and says "this is our home." I was so excited and must have been hungry too because when we opened the front door, that familiar smell of boiled onions made me so happy! Finally we got up the third flight of stairs, thru the locker room and to his group's door. Sixteen little heads spun toward us, and as if he'd been tagged, "goose," Nicholas sprung from the circle and came running toward me. He gave me a big, strong, hug, and the caregiver said (and I understood thru Almagul), he missed you, he missed you.

Not long after hugging, he went to my purse, where he knew he'd find something special. Thank goodness I picked up a Dora color-with-water set in London. He meticulously colored in every bit of each of two pages. Almagul asked if he remembered his sisters and Papa, and he nodded "Da!" Then he said "Katrina," "Isabelle," "Sophie." Then he said the Dora he was coloring was "Stephanie."

We stayed a little while and then he went outside with his group. Tomorrow I'll take him out of the Baby House and see how he does. If he's ok, then he'll sleep here with me, and if its too much all at once, I'll take him back. On Monday I hope we can have a little party and give the caregivers their gifts.

Now let me tell you a little about the oddessey of getting here. Oh man, what a voyage! I didn't sleep a wink from Chicago to London, really surprising since the night before I'd only slept for about 4 hours. I watched "Blood Diamond" and "The Good Shepherd." Also chatted with a couple from South Bend, she a dermatologist and he a pediatrician, heading to Spain for a cruise with their three adult kids. How fun. Also turns out we're on the same flight back on the 26th, so Nicky will have his first dermatologist evaluation for his little dry patches, in flight! How cool is that.

The layover in London was 7 hours. I got very tired and laid down on some seats that didn't have the armrests separating them. Then got woken up by a lady putting her bag on my head, and to my horror, found that the quiet area I'd picked for a snooze was now teeming with people. How undignified! I felt (and probably looked) like a bag lady.

Little did I know, I'd soon be a bag-LESS lady. I got on the London to Almaty flight, fell asleep before takeoff and woke up two hours later to find that we were still at the gate! I went back to sleep and awoke as we were landing in a place called Ekatrinaburg, Russia (a stopover that was not on my itinerary, named after Katrina apparently). We sat there for a bit too, and the person next to me got off the plane so I now had three seats to myself!

Bummer though was when we got to Almaty, somehow only one of my two suitcases had made it! The one with the orphanage donations made it. Too bad I'm not a size 2-T. My bag is still in London, along with the stroller. Oh well, I made the connection to Ust with an assurance that my bag will arrive on Sunday.

Almagul was in the tiny Ust airport to meet me. It was great to see her. I'm the only client here right now so I got the "awesome" apartment. I went back to sleep, lovely to stretch out on a bed again, and had her call me at 2:30 so we could get to the baby house for the afternoon visiting time. We got an Internet card, phone card, Tenge (local currency) on the way, and then, the best part of all...

Tickets, must-haves, and the washing machine that won't go away!

I have our tickets. It was just so astounding to see in print "Nicholas Holland Almaty-->London London-->Chicago." Big doings for a little boy.

Isabelle and I spent quite a bit of time in Target today for "must-haves." Nicholas must-have a bike helmet, must-have a floatie for the pool, must-have XS boxer-briefs (they are the cutest thing I ever did see). So many decisions, spiderman print? Too scary. Sponge Bob, too wierd (for someone who hasn't been raised with that yellow creature).

Well, as you can imagine we were there for 3 hours! We even had lunch there. When Isabelle was on the verge of taking her nap in the cart, I finally headed for the checkout. Also in the cart were gifts for Sveta, Almagul, Aidar, the Minister of Education, and the Director of the Orphanage, Natalya. Thank goodness I had already found something for the 11 caregivers, online at the Lands End overstocks. Really cute fleece hats marked down from $15 to $5, all different prints and sizes--I mean ELEVEN caregivers? Anything I thought of that was mildly useful came out to a pretty penney, so I was glad when I found those.

I must say I am a bit nervous about how Nicholas will react away from all that is familiar to him. I heard from another adoptive Mom that her 5 year old son had a terrible time and they had to go back to the orphanage for an overnight.

An interesting tidbit to me was that in those first days her son preferred to watch the washing machine (a mini front-load so you can watch the clothes--all three pieces--in the bubbles) rather than "Cars," the movie. This caught my attention because my mom tells me that as a little girl I was fascinated by the churning water and soap of the washing machine. It is kind of hypnotic to this day. (OK, some of you are starting to think I have some weird type of washing machine fetish! Ha, maybe I do, come to think of it). ANYWAY, what this little detail made me think was that the whole language thing can be very overwhelming. It made me recall how after 4 months in Spain, a country I absolutely fell in love with, I just wanted to talk with an American for a little bit--just to be completely understood, not just my words, but the context, the nuances, intonations, facial expressions, silly puns that are all part of the communications package. There is something soothing about the monotony of the wishy-washy washing machine.

So, I should go easy on the language. Of course Nicholas is not going to want to watch American movies right away, after trying to communicate the most basic of things, like "gotta go potty", Nicholas is not going to want to "relax" with more words he can't understand.

With that in mind, I am going to try NOT TO TALK TOO MUCH (this is a mental note-to-self). Eating, eating is fun in any language. Bathing, bath time is soothing in any language. Hugs, hugs are good, no words required. That kind of thing. Come to think of it, Justin might like the new me too :). Eating, bathing, hugging, and no talking... Ha! Well, toodles (see that's a word no one would understand in another country no matter how many years they'd studied American).

His Family Forever!

The appeal period is officially over! Yesterday was day 15 and now the judge's ruling, made back on May 17th, is set in stone. Nicholas is legally a part of our family, a U.S. citizen, a baby brother, a son, nephew, cousin, and grandson.

We were asked if we would chose a birth date for him since the date was unknown, and had been determined thru a best guesstimate. Justin turned to God's Word for guidance on this one. In a letter to the folks in Rome where he's imprisoned, Paul explains that Jesus has granted us the chance to be in a child-parent relationship with God once again, restoring a loving relationship. You may know, Abba is Hebrew for "Daddy." It just fit perfectly:

"You haven't received the spirit of slaves that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the spirit of God's adopted children by which we call out, 'Abba! Father!'
–Romans 8:15

So August 15, it is. For now though we're focusing on the last week of school, going to the pool, a Kite Festival and soccer try-outs, summer reading, getting ready for sleep away camp, and just all the fun that comes with summer. I can't wait to have Nicholas begin to discover it all too! I'll be in Kaz from June 13 - 26, and then life together truly begins!

I love my washing machine

What a dork. I almost cried when I opened the lid of my washing machine and started dropping my second-hand-smoke-permeated clothing into what seemed a bottomless drum. Just the sound of the dryer whirling put a grin of satisfaction on my face. It seems my spirit of adventure evaporated in the presence of my Western amenities. I loaded the dishwasher and marveled at how quickly the sink went empty! I paid my bills online and experienced true joy. I unpacked my Peapod-delivered groceries ooohing and aaaahing at all the fresh greens. Then I went out to the real grocery store just for the fun of it. Man, am I sucker for comfort!

BUT as I looked around our house, I was also seeing it thru Nicky's eyes and thinking that after the sparse and methodically organized Baby House, poor boy is going to short circuit. What's all this stuff? It's like eye pollution. Going to take some getting used to for a boy that can be entertained by a popsicle stick and a little pile of dirt.

And our schedule? What schedule? Let's see, if its sunny, we go to the pool, and if its not, the library. Is that a summer schedule? Need a marker? Here are 50. Want a cracker? Open the pantry and chose from five varieties. How am I going to do this? I need to have a major Good Will run. This is ridiculous. I mean just on the desk where this laptop sits there's enough stuff to overload our little man.

Anyhow, enough stream-of-consciousness. Here are the facts. I will travel back to Ust-Kamenogorsk on/around June 15. We will leave the Baby House, Nicky's first time out in about 16 months, on June 18 or 19th. Once we receive his Kaz passport and new birth certificate (with his new name, birth date, and parents), we fly to Almaty to the U.S. embassy for medical exam and interview.

Nicky and I will fly home on or before June 27 which also happens to be the day my visa expires. I really hope I don't have to renew it--that'll be another $250. However we're saving a lot because I'm flying back to Kaz alone to retrieve Nicholas. As God would have it, our good friends the Brossards have seen their move date pushed off repeatedly. Connie Brossard is like an aunt to Isabelle and Katrina so they will stay here. Connie and Joe have four boys of their own, but has never stopped them from opening their home to our girls and countless other kids! She is truly amazing. She can seriously bake cookies from scratch, pull a kid out of the street, and answer my phone call simultaneously. And genuinely smile while doing it!

Speaking of people I can learn a lot from, at the end of July we'll do our regular trip to the Outer Banks with the Reeds. I plan to observe closely and ask outright how it is that Melissa has two of the best-behaved-but-not-mamas-boys on the planet. Whatever she does, I need to learn to do, even with the language barrier. I can already tell Nicholas is one of those boys that will need a ton of love and equal amounts of discipline. He's just like his father :)

We miss our Nicholas terribly and talk about him all the time. Sophie can't wait to meet him--she's seen the video that we took of him on the playground one day. By the way, she did great without us. Kept her grades up and was really mature in taking care of herself and going w/ the flow at the Iskowitz' and Beauchamps. God is good. Will write more in a couple of days...

Goodbye for a while

We said goodbye to Nicholas today. Assured him that I would be back to bring him home soon. Through Sveta, our translator, who has been so sweet these past few weeks, we told Nicholas that we were going home to get his things--his suitcase, with his clothes, toothbrush/toothpaste, pjs. I asked him if I should pack a swimsuit for him for playing in the water ("da"/yes), shorts? ("da"), markers ("da"), a puzzle ("da"), candy ("da!").

We also put the light blue, silky blanket that Grandma Barbie sent, on his little cot. The caregiver, my favorite one (Mama Vieira), was in the dorm room when we were doing this and warned us that when it goes thru the laundry, it would get the orphanage stamp on it. All the better, another memory for him.

Anyhow, got to pack now, very hard to leave, and not much for writing. We did have a lovely Kazakh lunch today at a round low table outside with shear curtains draped all around us and exquisite food. We, including Sveta and Aidar, the driver, were all reclined afterwards on the pillows and could have easily gone to sleep but Isabelle was prancing about like a fairy, in and out of the shears.

I really hate to leave. The weather is beautiful, flowers in bloom everywhere, the city is bustling... but I have so much to get done at home, beginning with Nicholas' health insurance, 3 weeks of mail, and wrapping up the school year for the girls. And we miss our friends dearly.

Thanks for all the love and support. Tomorrow we're off to Astana, Kaz (the new capital of the country), then connect to Frankfurt, overnight in the airport hotel (whoopie), and on to our beloved Chicago where we arrive shortly after what is midday there and midnight here!

Next post will take about a week is my guess. Thanks again for all the comments and prayers!

Mission Accomplished

Oh dear, perhaps I should start with a better title since W has jinxed this one. How about: Court Hearing Success



Stephanie and I cleared the greatest hurdle on our way to adopting Nicholas today. We also made an impassioned plea for the court to waive the 15 day period during which the judge’s decision is subject to challenge. We were told these requests are almost never granted, except in the case of a life-threatening medical condition. Still, we’d been prepared for stiff opposition from the prosecution (unreal, I know, but they fight for deadbeat parent rights, even if it means keeping kids in the orphanage) and we thought it a good idea to make the request. If nothing else it would give the court something to refuse.

It turned out I think we benefited from providing a face-saving opportunity for the court. The judge still refused our request to waive the waiting period, but we ran into another problem...

We had a very tense few minutes in the middle of the hearing. The prosecutor took exception to our claim that the police had gone to reasonable lengths to locate Nicholas’ birth mother. She demanded the judge postpone any ruling until a thorough search for the boy’s mother could be conducted. This would have been heartbreaking--the cultural and geographic divide would have been very difficult to fight from Chicago.

With our translator providing the play-by-play to the judge, Stephanie and I were each allowed to say our piece before he ruled. Stephanie was at her best here, referring to the British family who’s daughter was recently abducted in Portugal. “Anyone losing a child wouldn’t sleep until they’d done everything possible to find him. No one has made a single call to a police station or visited the sole orphanage in town during the 15 months since Nicholas was found.”

The judge agreed and after a short recess we were told of his decision. The prosecutor was salty, and had words for the folks representing us before storming out. It was almost like something out of a movie.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. We honestly believe that it’s been these prayers that have pulled us through and brought us one terrific step closer to getting Nicholas home.

PS: Holy Cow! You North Siders will be thrilled to see Harry Caray is alive and well here in Kazakhstan… Here we’re with two other adoptive parents we’ve met at Harry’s Central Asia eatery.

Court date set for Thursday!

"God will either give you what you ask, or something far better." -- Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Our court date will be on the 17th, at 4:15 pm, about 2:15 am Chicago time—so if you can’t sleep (I have a couple of friends who share my tendency to insomnia) pray for a miracle—that they waive the mandatory 15 day appeal period.

This poor little boy has had a hard start in life, but the day that his mother or father, aunt or uncle, whomever, left him at a bus stop in what was surely freezing temperatures (Feb. here is worse than in Chicago), was actually the day that he caught the bus that would take him home. We don’t think he should have to wait any longer.

Justin gave our facilitator a hardy lecture on the responsibility of a judge to interpret the law. It was awesome. He did me proud. The facilitator was saying that the law is the law. The 15 day appeal period is “the law.” Justin said that he totally supports the grace period, but that in this case, where the child’s parents are unknown and no one has come for him in 15 months, plus the fact that the other party (we) have made a substantial investment of time, distance, and money, the judge can be assured that there is no chance of either side appealing.

Our facilitator was speechless, literally! It might be the first time that she’s ever heard reason undermine practice. I was relieved though when he didn’t finish up with the GE mantra, “I am the CUSTOMER.” We tried that at the start of this adventure, like when the four of us were seated in the back seat of the car because we’d been told we were going somewhere, and then the driver, translator, and facilitator stood outside chatting for 10 minutes. Meanwhile the raindrops on our jackets began evaporating and as the car got steamier by the minute, Justin and I raised our eyebrows at each other.

We are not customers. We are pons! But knowing that we'll one day come home with Nicholas, we just keep plodding ahead to "check mate!"

Mother's Day in Kaz

Today was Day 14 of visiting, my first Mother’s Day without Sophie (missing her!), and my first one with Nicholas. Never thought I’d celebrate Mother’s Day in an orphanage. Seems like an oxymoron doesn’t it?

We had an indoor visit because it was raining and were allowed to visit downstairs, in the Directors waiting room. It was a nice change because there is a small yurt (traditional Kazakh round tent) and Russian and Kazakh dolls dressed in traditional attire that the girls were allowed to play with.
The room also has a short hallway that leads to a cavernous laundry room with industrial size washers and dryers. The pipes are on the outside of the wall and I had my first break-thru in teaching Nicholas a couple of English words without the interpreter’s help. We touched the cold pipe and I said, “cold.” He repeated something like “cole,” and when I said “hot,” he said “haw.” Good enough for me!

But officially his first English word was “football.” It came easy since it’s related to the Russian, “futbol.” ;) Hmmmm, ok, we’ll enter it in the Baby Book…first word: football.

For lunch, we went with two other couples to a traditional Kazakh restaurant. Our private room was like a Genie bottle, round, full of cushions, round table with huge, lazy susan, no shoes. Very comfy. Yes, horse was served; no, we did not eat any. I don’t need to be trying any funky type of meat—I have a hard enough time with beef. Food was quite good and champagne was really good. Much better than the Kazakh wine we poured down the drain the other night.

That was after I had spit out some cheese that tasted like it was completely soured. Katrina thought it was so funny to see Mom spit (because I’m such a lady), that she started cracking up and inadvertently inhaled her mouthful of pasta. Good thing I’m an experienced Heimlich administrator (Sophie, 2003, cheese stick). I did the Hymlich and pasta shot into the living room. Never a dull moment.

Tomorrow we turn in our request to adopt Petr Petrovich Ivanov as Nicholas Peter Holland. On Tuesday morning, we will be notified of our court date. We can leave right after court so we’re praying that will happen miraculously soon.

Day 12

Here's darling Nicholas (he no longer answers to Peter say the caregivers) discovering Dora. He knows all his colors and shapes, in Russian. I hope the language comes along quickly. My mom likes to say that I learned English in a month--it might have seemed that way. I hope so.

We kind of hit a wall in our stay today. We're about two weeks into it and are missing home. Justin's going a bit bonkers. This afternoon he was totally vegged, watching LA Confidential in Russian. Not a good sign. I have a smokers hack from the second-hand smoke that fills out apartment from the ventilation system (a pipe connecting all the bathrooms in the 10 story building).

But we're trying to stay positive. These are a couple of things I've heard my positive-thinking husband say, "nicotine in the bathroom is a great diarrhetic," and "pollution makes for great sunsets." Let's hope we can continue to stay on the sunny side. We miss everyone, especially our dear Sophie, SO MUCH!