Hello from Almaty!

Well, my life has changed for the absolute better and I am writing as one extremely happy mommy! :-) Words can not describe how wonderful it is to hear Abby laugh and see her smile every day. She has the most precious grin in the world. Every day she learns something new. Her latest tricks include clapping, raspberries, doing one incredible Godfather impression (which is simultaneously dead on and hilarious), and playing with her feet. She loves to eat and I have not found anything yet she does not like. I hope she likes American baby food as much as Russian baby food. :-)

Our first couple nights in Almaty were a little difficult in terms of going to sleep. Almaty is 2 hours ahead of Uralsk (and 11 hours ahead of Atlanta), so we got to go through our first time change. It was funny though because I would be rocking her and look down to see 4 little teeth as she smiled at me. :-) Last night was 100% better as I was able to get her to sleep at 8:00 and she slept until 7:15. Abigail is terrified of baths. I had read many children who live in orphanages are scared of them (she has never had a bath before - they give only sponge baths in the baby house) but we will get through that with time I know. Aside from baths, she is incredibly happy. She is still very reserved around strangers and will only stare. No smiles for people she does not know.

Our time here in Almaty has been fun. We went up in the mountains on Saturday. Talk about beautiful. We ate at a ski resort outside with one of the most breathtaking views ever. Abby loved it but mainly because she got to eat up there. :-) Sunday afternoon we got together with another family. Baby Jasmine is 9 months old (1 month younger than Abby) and is such a cutie. The babies had fun staring at each other. We went to eat dinner that night and Abby did great (and this without a high chair or stroller!). The place we went to was a Scottish restaurant and I think she was busy staring at the Russian waiters wearing kilts. I know I was.

Today we had Abby's medical appointment with the doctor here. This is required for entry into the U.S. They weighed her at 18.9 pounds but they weighed her with ALL her clothes so I know she is not quite that big yet. They said she was 28 inches too. Big girl!!! Everyone said compared to all the other babies her age here, she is huge. That's my girl! The doctor was interesting. He barely acknowledged Abby at all but then the "examination" was minimal.

After the medical we went for a walk in the park and then ate lunch at Mad Murphy's. Such good food for me since I was able to order meatless. And Abby had a high chair so all was right with the world.

Our apartment here is very nice. I have a bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen, and a room I have designated as the ironing room (no, I'm not ironing here but that is all that is in the room). There is a "crib" but I use that word in its loosest sense. It looks like a crib that would have been used in 1945 and has only 3 sides. Yes, and Abby is pretty smart about that empty side. :-) At first I pushed the crib against my bed (since they are roughly the same height) but she just crawled in my bed so now she sleeps in bed with me. Fortunately when I put her to bed she is asleep already so I don't think she is aware I am even sleeping with her. I will have to worry about that when we get home.

Well, Vitalii is walking Abby so I need to go check on them. :-) We are doing great and looking forward to coming home. Tomorrow we are going shopping in the morning and then to the Embassy in the afternoon. We will be picked up from the apartment Wednesday morning at 1:30am to make our flight to Frankfurt. We have a 7 hour flight from Almaty to Frankfurt, a 4 hour layover in Frankfurt, and then a 10.5 hour flight to Atlanta. Adding in driving time to the airport, and it is a 24 hour trip home.

I will try to post tomorrow! Cheers from Kazakhstan!!! :-)

It's official..... I'm a mom!!!!!!!! :-)

And I am the mother of the most amazing baby girl too!! :-) So much has happened since my last post.

Court. I won't lie. This was very scary and intimidating. Olga and Assia had so well prepared me, but it was court and even the thought that the judge would say no was just unbearable. We got to court right on time but we were the only ones. The prosecutor arrived just after us. Then the lady from the records office. And the wait. The lady from the Ministry of Education was about 30 minutes late. So we all sat in relative quiet waiting. Talk about a long 30 minutes. Every little bit Assia and then Olga would ask if I was ok. I would smile and say yes. What else can you do? :-)

Finally the lady arrived and we went into the same room where we had pre-court. In addition to the people mentioned above, the director from Abby's baby house was also there. Everything happened exactly as Olga had told me it would. The judge asked questions. Assia and I stood to answer them. Then the prosecutor asked questions. I also presented my petition to have the extra 2 weeks waived. I don't even remember most of the whole thing but I did have to also give my speech. The baby house director talked, the lady from the ministry of education talked, the lady from the records office talked. And then came the prosecutor. She fully agreed I should become Abigail's mom but did not believe it was necessary for the 2 weeks to be waived. Fortunately, Assia chose not to translate this part for me. Even more importantly, the judge decided to grant my adoption (YAY!!!) and grant the waived 2 weeks (YAY!!!). We all quickly left the judge's room and it was hugs all around which was very cool. The mood instantly changed from somber and serious to very celebratory. I didn't realize it was good news until Assia gave me a hug. :-)

We left court and went to the apartment so I could change and then went to the Records office to sign more stuff and get Abby's birth certificate. And then we went to get Abby. By this time it was already after 6:00 and the baby house was very quiet (most workers leave at 5:00). I got Abby's snowsuit on (Oh my gosh but it was adorable - all you can see of her were cheeks and eyes). We went back to the apartment and the wait began. Our flight was delayed. We were supposed to leave at 9:10pm and the flight wound up being 23 hours late. Olga once again came through for me (I will never be able to repay her for everything) and kept checking on the flight so we were able to stay at the apartment. The problem was the updates kept changing so I would unpack what we needed and then find out we were about to leave and pack everything again. I did this 4 times over the next day. And the apartment had nothing for babies so I could not put Abby down. That night I slept with Abby and kept waking up to just stare at her. :-) She is soooooo beautiful and it was an amazing feeling that she is now my daughter. The next morning when she woke up, she was grinning and then laughing. Talk about one happy mom. :-)

But the great news is we made it. Assia came over Thursday and I was able to run buy water to make bottles and cereal for the baby. At 3:00 Thursday afternoon Assia left and Olga and Igor arrived to take us to the airport. Saying good-bye to all 3 of them was very hard for me. We all exchanged gifts and email addresses and I will stay in touch with them.

The Uralsk airport is more like a bus station than an airport. There is no real waiting area and it seems 1 flight is coming or going at any time. We had a 2 hour wait for the plane to land but Olga waited with me so the time went by pretty fast. Abigail is such a little trooper!!! Because the airport is so cold, she had to keep her snowsuit on that whole time. She did not cry except when she got hungry. When the plane finally got there we had to leave Olga and Igor to go through security. Security is about as tight here as it is at a McDonald's. They wave a wand over you and ask what is causing the beeping. Pretty funny. Now Abby and I had to wait (still with coats) for another 1.5 hours in this little room. I'm telling you, it would have been hard on most adults but Abby did so great. The only time she cried was when we had to walk outside to the plane. I'm not sure I have ever been that cold. It was a really hard freezing walk (about a football field length) and was completely iced over. The nicest man took my bag for me and then when we got to the plane he made every one let us through.

Abby's first flight was very good. I had hoped she might sleep since it was now so late but she was too busy taking in all that was going on. Fortunately we had an entire row to ourselves. There would not have been room for anyone else. :-) Abby did rest a little while I gave her a bottle but afterwards she was ready to go. I walked her in the aisle for a little bit and discovered the back of the plane was entirely empty except for a couple with a precious baby boy. They spoke very little English but enough for us to determine their son was 1 week older than Abby. The babies had the best time staring, laughing, and clapping at each other. The couple gave me another pair of socks for Abby because they were afraid she was cold. Now I should mention that she had on the required thick tights, a onesie, a shirt, pants, a shirt, a sweater, and socks. :-) These people are very worried about the cold - even inside a hot plane.

When we were landing, Abby fell asleep (of course) but I managed to get her bundled back up again and we road the bus to the "terminal". My driver Vitali, and interpreter Galena were there waiting on us and we finally made it to the apartment around 12:30am. Quite a day! Fortunately, Abby is an amazing sleeper and I was able to unpack last night.

Today she has been all smiles and laughs. We even ate in her first restaurant for lunch and she was charming everyone. I wish you all could see her. Just precious!!!

Right now Vitali is walking Abby in her new stroller (I bought it at a market just this morning). We had paperwork to do at Gulbanu's office today and I am going to buy groceries in a little bit then we are back to the beautiful apartment to wash clothes and rest.

I'm sorry this is such a reader's digest version - I have left out so much but my time is very short. More later! :-)

Hi everyone,

This is going to be one quick post today. Court day! It has been quite the land of activity here for me. Yesterday afternoon's visit/observation with the lady from the minister's office went great. Abby was a little angel despite the fact that the meeting was late and it was her dinner time. She mostly stared at the lady (as I have discovered she does with strangers) but I was able to get her to laugh and smile. Olga and Assia also told the lady that Abby always smiles and babbles during my visits with her (visits with Abby that is, the ministry lady did not babble though she did smile) :-).

Afterwards, Olga and Assia prepared me for court. I had to sign a petition for the court to allow the last 2 weeks be waived so we can come home as planned. It is a law in Kazakhstan that adoptive families visit the baby for 2 weeks, go to court, and then if the adoption is approved, they must stay an additional 2 weeks before going to Almaty for final paperwork. We are hoping to get the additional 2 weeks waived. So basically, we are asking for 2 things today: 1) That the judge grant my adoption, and 2) That the judge allows immediate execution.

This morning Olga had me take my gifts for the caregivers, baby house director, and doctors with me when I visited Abby. Normally this is done after court, but since time will be so tight for us we did it this morning. This seemed to cause some confusion but we made it through. Four of Abby's caregivers were working today so I got to give them, her doctor, and the director their gifts personally. The rest I left. I also got some pictures of these wonderful women with Abby.

Igor brought the cake I bought too. It was quite beautiful and looked like a wedding cake (3 tiers!). One of the women brought a piece for Assia and me and it was so good too! Not as sweet as our cakes at home but I liked it better that way.

After the baby house, we stopped by the market so I could buy Abby some of the tights all the babies wear under their clothes. I don't want to get in trouble for not having her dressed warmly enough while we are here.

It is very cold today - feels colder to me than it has been lately. It snowed a lot last night. Last night I wrote the speech I will give in court. I am indeed nervous. I don't think there is anyway around that. Court at home can be a nervous thing but at least you understand what is being said. :-) I don't know, maybe it is actually better I don't know everything they say. I will let you know if they start pulling out my permanent record from elementary school. :-)

Take care everyone and as always, thank you for your prayers and support!! I can feel both half way around the world.

Happy Tuesday!

The sun has actually popped out here a bit today. No new snow but the old stuff is definitely still here. Today I walked past a house where they have not swept or shoveled snow and the snow was above my shoulders so I finally got a feel for about how much there has been.

Yesterday afternoon's visit with Abby kept me busy because a certain adorable baby girl was incredibly busy. :-) Actually Olga and Masha had a meeting in the music room where we were and Abby kept trying to figure out what was going on. Pretty funny afternoon all in all. Afterwards, we took Masha home first and they told me she lives in the relatively new part of Uralsk. It was great having a new drive home - and a longer drive. I love the drives through Uralsk. In the car Olga asked which I preferred - night Uralsk or day Uralsk. While I enjoy both, I do love night Uralsk. It looks completely different at night with all the lights.

On the way to drop me off we made a stop at a store and when Olga returned to the car she had bought me flowers for my birthday. So sweet!!! I get sad thinking about leaving Olga, Assia, and Igor tomorrow.

This morning I got to see Abby get a baby massage. It was really neat to see. This was the first time for me to see Abby without 14 layers of clothes too. She is very healthy looking though pretty petite. I think half her weight is in those cheeks of hers. :-) The massage lady put the baby on a towel on the desk and just gave her a massage all over. It lasted maybe 15 minutes and I did take pictures. For the most part Abby stayed pretty still though it.

During the break between visits, Assia helped me buy formula, cereal, juice, and snacks for Abby. I brought some of this stuff with me but not enough for a whole week. We then went to a different bookstore from the other day and I bought some books, postcards of Uralsk, and a large map of Kazakhstan. I want to get it framed when we get home. It has some Kazakh history on it too. Kazakhstan joined the Soviet Union in the 1930s and became a free and independent country in the early 1990s (1991 I think? I can't remember if it was 1991 or 1992). It is a cool map. I wish they had also had one of Uralsk but they did not.

I walked around awhile after they dropped me off. My last full day in Uralsk. When I got back to the apartment, I began packing. This morning Assia asked me if I had packed yet. When I replied "no" she paused with the comic genius of Bob Newhart and then asked "Will you by tomorrow?" :-) I decided it was probably time to begin. I don't think I will have as much trouble fitting everything this time because between gifts and stuff I have already used I am simply not taking as much back. But after a week in Almaty, I'm sure I will fill those bags back up again. :-)

A few of you have asked about why we go to Almaty. Tomorrow if the judge grants my adoption, I will officially be Abby's mother! But there is still a lot of paperwork and stuff that has to happen before we can leave the country. Aside from a trip to the Embassy (which is in Almaty), most of what will happen will be done by my agency. Hopefully, everything will go as planned, and we will be able to fly back to the U.S. on January 28.

This afternoon a lady from the Ministry of Education will be at my afternoon visit with Abby. I'm hoping all goes as it should but with an active 10 month old, who knows. :-) Also this afternoon, Olga and Assia will prepare me for court tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be a very busy day and I do not know if I will have time to post or not. In the morning I will have my visit with Abby. Court is at 4:00 and then we will go to the baby house to get Abby and say good-bye to everyone. I hope to get lots of pictures of her caregivers at this time. And then, we are off to the airport for a late flight to Almaty. I have no idea how much I will be able to post once we are in Almaty. I doubt it will be every day but I will post as often as humanly possible.

Please keep Abby and me in your prayers as I go to court tomorrow. Take care everyone!

Curious about the weather in Uralsk? SNOW!! :-) No change other than just so much more of it and it has been snowing all day today too. More on that in a minute.

My afternoon birthday visit with Abby was, in a word, incredible. She was in the best mood and we just laughed and played the whole time. And ate cheerios. They will likely be finding cheerios in that music room for years after we have left here. :-) The best part of the afternoon though was at the end. Assia was holding Abby and all of a sudden Abby just reached out her arms for me. Oh words can not describe!

Assia took today off because she has a final exam on Thursday but the days between now and then will be filled helping me. So Masha is my interpreter for today. This meant I got to see a new (to me) part of Uralsk as Masha lives in a part of town I had not been to. And then another first. Masha was late. Olga, Igor, and Assia are incredibly punctual. We waited outside for around 10-15 minutes for Masha and were thus late to the baby house.

When Masha brought me Abby, she was definitely more subdued today. Laughing but not as much. But still we played. Unlike Assia, Masha did not stay in the room with us for long and it was honestly the longest I have been alone with Abby. Abby began to get a little restless/fussy so I walked around the room with her and before I knew it, she fell asleep. She slept with me holding her for over 30 minutes when Masha came to take her back. It was a moment in time I won't forget.

I found out later that apparently Olga had scolded Masha for being late, so I was allowed to stay with Abby longer than I was supposed to. After we left the baby house, we stopped by the big market and then I went to the apartment for lunch.

Soooo, back to the weather. I swear yesterday felt like I lived in a slapstick sit com. I kept looking for the cameras and listening for the laugh track. Some of you know that I have this, shall I say, knack, for being splashed by cars, trucks, whatever if I happen to be standing on the corner of a street when it is raining. Well, apparently this knack carries over to snow in Kazakhstan. Not once, not twice, but three different times yesterday I was sprayed with snow/mud while waiting to cross the street. And so it began.....

After lunch I decided to go to the little market near my apartment (I did this all by myself too!). Well somehow it managed to warm up enough yesterday that the snow melted a little where people walked and yet it was still below freezing so it would freeze back up again immediately. You probably see where I'm going with this. Ice. It was very difficult for me to walk on the ice though people who lived here scurried right along as if they were walking on carpet. I had to take it very slow and no kidding was lapped by 2 little babushkas on walkers. So, I realized that if I walked on the edge of the "sidewalks" it was still fresh snow. The problem with this was the snow was so deep I had to march to get anywhere. So here I am with my army of one making the loudest noise just to move forward. People usually ignore me but they all stared at me yesterday. It was one long 2 blocks. :-) On the way back, I hit a very icy spot, took one step, and next thing I know I am in front of my apartment. No, I did not fall, but I did that whole arms and legs flailing thing usually reserved for bad television. Looking back, though, sliding a whole 2 blocks was pretty fun. I do not believe anyone can make arms and legs flailing look graceful but graceful was not even my vocabulary yesterday. I did hit the heck out of my leg on my big steel door as I came in for a landing. Just a lovely bruise that I may still have when I get back to Atlanta. :-)

Then we have the drive home. As I have said before, Igor is a wonderful driver. Yesterday was proof of this fact as I swear pedestrians were testing him from every angle. He might as well have just duct taped his horn in the honk position because he had to hit it every 2 seconds. It was like playing real life frogger - only we were one of the cars. :-)

Yesterday I finally saw snowmen!!! And I saw 2 different snowball fights. It was great to see all the snowmen, snowwomen, and snowbabies. :-) I had been wondering why the children of Kazakhstan skipped out on such a fun tradition but I guess they just saved it for a Sunday.

Today is a holiday here too. No, it is not MLK Day though. It is a traditional Russian Orthodox holiday which involves swimming in the lake (or river?) here. Something about cleansing oneself. Before you even ask, no, I will not be partaking of this activity. Even though I have gotten used to the temperatures here, I will not be pushing my luck by dunking myself in frozen water.

So, there you go. :-)

Take care and enjoy your holiday!

Since today is Sunday and the Internet Cafe is closed, I am writing from the Chagala Hotel. Though it is more expensive, it is a really nice environment (the internet cafe can be quite on the loud side). Today is a day in Uralsk that would make Currier and Ives giddy. Well, provided they were the giddy types. It has snowed very hard non-stop since yesterday afternoon and continues to do so as I type. It is incredibly beautiful. I wonder if we are now walking on many feet of snow as the snow never melts and the new snow just gets added on top. The temperature actually feels very mild to me now.

Today is my birthday and if someone had told me even 13 months ago that I would be spending this birthday in Uralsk, I would have stared at them with the look I usually reserve for the people who work at the Georgia Pacific building post office. Those of you who ever visited this post office know the look I mean. For those of you who have not had this, um, honor, the look is one of incredulity.

One year ago yesterday I filled out my application for World Partners Adoption. It has been quite the year. The first 3 months I spent filling out more paperwork than I could have imagined. Then came the wait. Oh the wait. I am a patient person but this wait nearly killed me. One of the hardest parts of international adoption is how much is out of your hands. You are totally relying on people you don't know and generally the information you receive is, well, non-existent. And yet, the moment I saw Abby's picture, the wait just evaporated for me. And the first moment I met her in person, I knew every agonizing part of this year of wait was worth it.

Alright, enough of my birthday retrospection. :-) On to Abby! The last 2 visits were just great. I don't know how else to say it. I'm sure it sounds boring reading what we do but every time I see her, there is more recognition in her face. She is content to let me hold and walk with her longer (rather than always playing). Each day I also see new parts of her personality. I think she is very funny and yet has a serious side. She loves music. She likes to attempt things herself but is willing to let me help her if the task is too hard. She has learned to make a fish face which is absolutely priceless. She babbles a lot. She is very fascinated with her feet. As I have mentioned many times before, anything that makes a good loud noise is a hit. I'm sure people on all the planes we will be on hope I am able to find something else to entertain her as much. :-) And she has a great little appetite. And I am already teaching her to be a Braves fan, Uwe! :-) We worked on the tomahawk chop today.

One thing I have enjoyed very much during my time in Uralsk is the driving. They know how to do it here. :-) Basically, if someone is going too slow, you pass them. Right side, left side? Your call. Someone getting on your nerves? Honk, and then move on. No road rage, no fingers, no words I can't repeat here for all audiences. Who knows how many lanes the roads are intended to have (I have not seen pavement in a week and a half), but sometimes there are 4 cars across, sometimes 6. Sometimes you are so close to the car next to you that you can reach over and tossle their hair. Not that I have done this yet. Those darn hats get in the way. :-) Igor is a wonderful driver. No panicking from home, but I have not worn a seat belt in 2 weeks now. They just don't wear them here. I'm not even sure his car has them. Now in the U.S., there is no way I would go out without wearing a seat belt. Drivers are too scary at home. And too busy doing other things. Here, they focus on driving. I have yet to see a driver here worry with makeup, shaving, reading, talking on a cell phone, or eating - all things I see on a daily basis when driving in the states.

Buses. This is pretty cool. They have different levels of service. There are large minivans everywhere. These are the nicer buses and cost more but you have a more pleasant ride. They even have curtains on some. The big (and thus cheaper) buses are more like you would imagine. Big, loud, and crowded.

Dogs. Since I commented on cats this week I must give my first love, dogs, equal billing. Dogs are everywhere. Many are with their people but also many are just out on their own. They seem very well fed so I'm not sure they are strays but they do not have any apparent leash laws. The thing that is funny is the dogs that are by themselves are on a mission. It is like they have a watch, a schedule, and someplace they must be. If you pass one, it will scarcely look at you. Instead, they will fast trot right on by. American dogs seem to just meander more. Sniffing, checking out the scenery, and just hanging out.

My time in Uralsk is actually winding to an end. In some ways this is hard to believe, in others, it feels I have been here a lifetime. This trip has so far been simulaneously difficult, memorable, wonderful and rewarding. I am very good at finding ways to entertain myself but there have been moments that this was hard for me here. I can't imagine this trip would be easy for anyone who needs to constantly have others around them. Well, I have others around me, but they are rarely saying anything I understand. :-) Even in the car when we are leaving the baby house, everyone will be speaking Russian. I try to pretend I know what they are talking about. Sometimes I can even sort of guess (as I discover if they happen to later translate for me). I think this is the closest I have ever known what it felt like to be illiterate. At least when I have traveled through European countries, the alphabet is where I could sound out words - or recognize them. Here the alphabet is completely different, so things like street signs mean nothing to me. It has been quite the learning experience for me. It is very humbling!

Alright everyone - I hope the rest of your weekend is a good one. I'm off to have a birthday lunch on a birthday in which my greatest gift is one precious baby girl.

One word sums up the weather here. Snow. I checked the forecast and it is supposed to also snow every day for the next week so I may have seen the last of the sunshine from Uralsk.

On to Abby though. :-) Yesterday's visit was wonderful. Her doctor has also officially extended the afternoon visits to 1.5 hours! Woo Hoo! Unfortunately the morning visits are still 1 hour but hey, I'll take what I can get. We played a lot yesterday. When you are 10 months old and restricted to a blanket then your options are a bit limited. :-) She is so ready to just go. Her crawling is very good and she is so speedy. Twice yesterday she sort of accidentally stood on her own. Each time it surprised her and then she fell but for a few seconds she was an independent standing baby girl!

This morning's visit was fantastic!! She was in the best mood and I got all kinds of smiles and laughs. She is also so busy. I, of course, translate her curiosity into how brilliant she is. :-) This morning I also brought the baby bjorn carrier so we could practice. I'm glad I did because she tolerated it but only for a short amount of time. I really think she will do just fine though when I am using it to run around airports because she will have so much to watch.

Yesterday Igor gave me our airline tickets for the flight from Uralsk to Almaty. We are scheduled to fly Jan. 21 at 8:10pm. Wednesday is going to be quite a big day as I will have court just before needing to go to the airport. Let's just hope the judge agrees and approves everything!!!

Today Igor and Olga were about 30 minutes late picking us up from the baby house. Time matters not at all to me here so I totally didn't care. (They thought my morning visit had been extended as well as the afternoon). After we dropped off Assia, Olga let me know the baby house is in need of medicine. I had asked to donate something to the baby house (since I did not have room to bring over a lot from the U.S.). So this is what I will buy them. Now that I have seen things close up I wish I could do so much more.

I do have good news to report in the shower department. Score:
Shower 145 (I gave extra points for the disasters earlier this week).
Gayla 2

I will take every success I can get in this area. :-) Today and yesterday were much more tolerable. Don't get me wrong, there were still the scalding/freezing fluctuations and there is no visible catalyst for each change. I have now come to the conclusion that someone is doing something in another apartment that is causing the changes in my water temperature because it truly is random.

There are a few things I have not really mentioned here but will do so now. The water here is very slick and when I first arrived smelled of fish. I don't notice the smell anymore so I know I have gotten used to that. On most of the buildings here they have these huge outdoor lights. They have no cover and are the brightest lights. Since most apartments don't have curtains or blinds you are treated to the light all night long. My bedroom has a sheer kind of curtain but it is still like sleeping on a Broadway stage. Minus the music and dancing of course. Though now that I think of it, that might be fun too. It's funny, but both the water and my super sized night light are things I already know I will remember fondly. It is just part of life here. Those and the steel doors that open and close all night long. I wonder where people are going or returning from at all hours of the night.

Something else I have noticed is cigarettes. Billboards for cigarettes are truly everywhere. But on many streets, you also see older women sitting in front of small tables (like tv trays) and they are selling cigarettes. Yesterday I saw a little boy not more than 8 years old buying cigarettes. I hope he was buying them for some older relative, but who knows.

I just met an American from the Peace Corps. She asked me if I was American and adopting. Yes on both counts. :-) She teaches English to 2nd through 10th graders. Wow.

So, I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! I had forgotten it was Saturday until a few minutes ago. :-) The days all kind of blend, but I'm doing great and enjoying the people and my experience here.

Hello from snowy Uralsk!

It has pretty much snowed straight since yesterday afternoon, taking only a short break this morning. The new snow is truly beautiful. Again, I have no idea how much we have gotten but it is such a lovely sight.

Yesterday afternoon I walked to Chagala since I had a longer break. They are now getting used to me there. :-) And they are getting used to my custom requests. Yesterday I asked for plain cheese pizza (not on the menu) and man but it was good. They also give me complete control of the remote. :-) Just as I was leaving, 2 American men came in and I gave them the remote as I left. The snow was very heavy as I walked home but it felt great and made walking much easier!

My afternoon visit with Abby was so much fun. She was in the best mood and laughed a lot. Her laughs are just music to my ears. Yesterday we got creative with stacking cups and I showed her how to make an echo noise in it. Well, she would imitate me and then crack herself up. We did this many times. :-) I also moved one of the little chairs to the edge of the blanket and she loves to stand holding to the chair - while banging a cup. Now, you knew there would be banging involved somehow. :-)

After my visit, I went home and ate my leftover pizza and read for a long time. If any of you ever find yourself in a foreign country with no tv and very short daylight hours, I highly recommend some good books. Fortunately, being the devout reader I am, I also picked great books to bring with me. Last week I finished The DaVinci Code (loved it!) and have now been reading Middlesex. Oh my but this book is fantastic!! I can't put it down. Good thing it is very long. :-) See, book club ladies, I'm trying to keep up with you from here! :-)

This morning's visit with Abby was more of our usual. Stacking cups, laughs, jumping, blocks, and, yes, cheerios. Every day she makes more eye contact with me and seems to be more aware of who I am. I forgot to mention at the end of yesterday's visit, Assia had been holding her a little and when Abby came back to me, she just buried her head in my sweater. We sat like that for a long time and Assia even commented that it was too bad my camera was not handy.

After today's morning visit, Assia and Igor took me souvenir shopping. First we went to a book store where I was able to get 5 children's books. All of them are printed in both English and Kazakh. Four of them are about a Kazakh folk hero. I think his name is Aldar Kose and I already like this little guy.

Next we went to a store that had a variety of gifts. I bought a Kazakh flag, some Kazakh dolls, a camel doll, a small jewelry box, and a great painting of a famous building here in Uralsk. They had some beautiful games but I'm afraid they are too heavy. I may try to find something similar in Almaty (since we will be there from Jan. 21-28, I will have time to do some more shopping). My goal is to buy 18 gifts. I will then give her one each year on her birthday for her first 18 years. I can't take credit for this idea as I read it somewhere but think it is a cool idea.

After lunch in my apartment, I ventured out to find a children's store near me. Someone had drawn a map in the apartment journal and I was able to find it. It was a bit pricier than other places but they pretty much had everything for kids. I bought Abby some new toys that I will donate to the baby house when we leave. I know she is tired of the toys we have been playing with. I got her a duck thing that makes a noise when it is pulled and also a stacking kind of toy which also has a duck (not sure what is with all the ducks here). :-) The pulling duck is cute but quite honestly, the other duck scares me a little. The toy part seemed worth the little scare. The quality of toys here is nowhere close to what we have in the U.S. and I have a feeling Abby may be able to destroy these toys in short time. I also bought her a very cute stuffed dog which we will take home with us.

A few more observations about life in Uralsk:
1. People walk around with bread. Bread is not always sold in plastic bags so sometimes they are just carrying the plain bread.
2. Every day I see people outside in the snow cleaning carpets. They use a broom and will beat and/or sweep it before taking it back inside. I took a few pictures of this.
3. Today I had to pick up a few things and we went to the small market near my apartment. Even though this place is roughly the size of a 7-11, you pay for what you buy at the counter where it is stored. So, today I bought bottled water, diapers, and cookies and I had to pay 3 different times because each item was on a different wall. Also, no sales tax here.
4. Cats. Near my apartment there are some dumpsters and every day I see on average 10-12 cats hanging out at the dumpsters. There is always a man who seems to be feeding them. These cats are eating quite well as they are easiest among the largest cats I have ever seen. And I thought American cats had attitude? Oh boy, these cats crack me up every day. They appear to picture me as if I were on a platter with a red apple in my mouth.
5. Each day I take 5 diapers to the baby house. I also keep a spare outfit in my bag. They will dress Abby in the same outfit until it is dirty and then they give it back to me to wash. Usually she wears an outfit for 2 days and they give it back but now she has been wearing the same outfit for 4 days now.

Assia told me this morning that Abby's doctor said I could stay an extra 30 minutes this afternoon. I wish I knew what I did so I could do it again! :-) Actually, last week I asked if I could stay to feed her and I asked if I could observe them give her a baby massage, so I'm guessing they might be allowing one of these things. I hope so! I have discovered they don't really tell me much in advance - just pretty much what I need to know when I need to know it. It works for me. :-)

Have a great night everyone! And as always, thank you for your emails, good thoughts, and prayers!

Whew! It is with great relief that I write I survived pre-court. I'm not sure how I missed the fact that this court also involves going to court and is actually a preliminary court. It was not until last night when Olga and Assia came to my apartment to prepare me that I realized just what pre-court is. It's probably best I didn't know beforehand that I would go to court twice. Olga and Assia did a wonderful job preparing me. We went over all the questions that the judge would ask and the general way I should answer. So, after they left, I was of course nervous. And I don't even have something good and mindless such as Survivor to occupy my mind.

Well, this morning I got up to face my daily dragon - that shower. I will not use my full personal description of the shower because kids and preachers might be reading this. :-) Well, the shower had a whole new surprise for me today. No water from the shower. Actually, I noticed when I brushed my teeth that there was almost zero water pressure and sure enough, when I went to turn on the shower, water came from the tub but switching to the shower? Nada. I waited awhile - just in case there was some kind of shower miracle that might occur. I'm sure you guessed though - that did not happen. Honestly, if it had been any day other than court day, I would have probably done without but since it was court I simply had to get more creative. So, I had my "shower" from under the tub. Let me just say - quite the contortionist am I. :-) At least the water temperature stayed consistent!!

Igor picked me up at 9:45 and we drove to pick up Assia. We had to take a detour because right around the corner they were doing some kind of utility construction (and I now strongly suspect this was the reason for no water pressure today). The funny thing was we had to park on a different side of the street and Assia could not see us. Igor honked that horn for like 5 minutes. He and I were laughing so hard. Poor Assia was just looking around. It was like a scene from Candid Camera. She could hear but not see us.

Next up? Court! The court building seems relatively new (at least on the inside). We sat in a waiting room (Assia studied for her final exam which is later today). Eventually, Olga, the baby house director, and one of the ladies from the ministry of education also arrived. We were called in to a large room. The judge was sitting at large desk at one end of the room. Immediately in front of him sat a woman I believe to be a secretary. Assia and I sat in chairs facing the judge. Behind us at a very large table sat Olga, the baby house director, and the ministry lady.

The judge basically asked me all the questions Olga said he would. My voice sounded calm but I assure you I was nervous. This judge was the definition of stern. Not even the faintest hint of a smile and he scarecely even looked directly at me. First I had to state what my requests of the court were. They were:
1. To adopt Zhansaule.
2. To change her name to Abigail Emma Green.
3. To keep her date and place of birth unchanged.
4. To be recorded as her mother.

I was afraid I would forget one of these but I remembered them all. I then answered all his questions. He probably asked me 5 or 6 questions total. His one concern was the fact that my mom (who would be Abby's guardian should anything happen to me) lived in Italy. Ok, this was funny to me. As most of you probably know, my mother lives in Rome, Georgia, but apparently when they translated my dossier to Russain, they left out the Georgia part. Sorry mom, but he also wanted to know how old you are. :-) Anyway, it took a couple of attempts to clear up the GA vs. Italy thing, but after that the baby house director talked and then ministry lady talked. Assia translated for me what they were saying. A Reader's Digest account for you: They covered Abby's health, the fact that they searched for her birth mother but could not find her, and that my visits with Zhansaule (Abby) have had a positive effect on her. The judge also took several pictures of Abby alone and Abby with me from the photo album I provided and he kept them.

All in all it was relatively fast (though seemed to last forever) but in the end the judge announced court will be on January 21 at 4:00pm! Sadly, I didn't get to visit Abby this morning because of court but I do get to go this afternoon!

So, on to the most important topic - Abby. Yesterday afternoon's visit was very good! We played and she was very hungry for cheerios. Assia and I just laughed because Abby couldn't eat them fast enough. We are both doing great and her top 2 teeth are almost all the way in now. It is so cute - especially when she eats her cheerios because she chews them right in front.

While I look forward so much to the day we are home, I am also trying to soak up every minute of this trip. Sometimes the days are very slow (the times when I am not with Abby) but I am finding new ways to occupy myself. When I am listening to the radio, I make up what they are singing based on how it sounds in English. One of my very favorite songs sounds like this in English:

There is mustard on the table.
There is mustard on the table.
There is mustard on the table.
Go! Get it now.

Another favorite song sounds like this in English:
I met Jessica Simpson.
She is Jessica Simpson.
Let's see her now.

The melodies are what I really love but for all I know they could be singing about stomping kittens. I may need to try to buy a CD or 2 while here.

It was one week ago today I arrived in Uralsk. One week ago today I met Abby. One week from today we will be back in Almaty. I can not wait for all of you to meet this amazing baby. Her smile will melt even the hardest heart. Those of you who do not live near Atlanta simply must plan a visit to the south. Or we will visit you. By the time we get home, she will be quite the little traveler. Take care everyone! :-)

Well, I have to share with you all the most amazing 2 visits with Abby. Yesterday afternoon was a good one - more like normal - but I could still tell Abby wasn't 100%. At the end of our visit, she was starting to get a little fussy so I just picked her up and began walking around the music room with her, whispering in her ear. She stopped crying almost immediately and just snuggled on my shoulder. Assia was not in the room right at that moment but she came back right at 5:00 (time to go) and told me Abby had fallen asleep (I couldn't see her face while holding her). It was the most precious thing ever but then it was so hard to give her back because it was time to go. Assia did not want to wake her up, so she let me take Abby back to her room. She woke up just as the caregiver took her. I did get to see the room and the other babies for just a second though. The babies are so adorable.

After we left the Baby House, we stopped by the photo/furniture store so I could get my pictures. They turned out great!! I got some very cute close ups of Abby. She is not smiling in a single one. :-) It is like the second the camera came out she had to focus on what was that thing. Assia had also taken several of Abby and me together and they are also good. I already added these to my photo album to give the judge.

Last night was another big wash night. They had given me some of Abby's clothes back to wash and I needed to wash some myself. I discovered that my washer is called The Aquamatic 6T. I love this name and will refer to the washer by its proper name from here on out. It is very cosmopolitan, no? Well, I guess only if your definition of "cosmopolitan" is something from The Jetsons. :-) Aquamatic 6T does have a spin cycle guaranteed to wake the dead. I am proof of this as the first night I washed clothes I fell asleep and woke thinking Uralsk was being invaded only to realize it was Aquamatic 6T's spin cycle.

This morning's visit with Abby was another wonderful one. We played and "read" and ate cheerios. Towards the end of the visit, she began to get fussy again so I walked around with her and sure enough, she fell asleep in my arms. I wish I could adequately describe how amazing this is.

Yesterday I gave Assia a list of questions about Abby's schedule, personality, milestones etc. Assia translated them, gave them to her doctor, and translated the answers back to English for me. She gave them to me after this morning's visit. I won't put everything here but do have to share a few things with you. Here are some of the highlights (exactly as Assia worded them):

1. She is cranky before sleep.
2. She started crawling at 7.5 months, sitting at 8 months, and got her first tooth at 8 months.
3. She enjoys open-air walks.
4. Her favorite toys are a doll, a stuffed dog, and a cat.
5. She has a serious personality.
6. Her favorite food is a ground meat [something - I can't read Assia's handwriting here] and mashed potatoes.
7. To comfort her, take her into arms, give drink.
8. She prefers people to being alone.

So, some of this I had figured out on my own (cranky before sleep and holding her). :-) I have also read that many of the children have "serious personalities" until they are home. I have already seen evidence that Abby is happy and loves to laugh but she does have a little serious side. I think she is an old soul too. And she is the most amazing baby and absolutely perfect for me in every way. Every day I can't imagine it is possible to love her more than I already do, and yet every day I love her more than before.

Today when we first arrived at the Baby House, there was a little music class going on in the music room where Abby and I play. Oh my gosh but it was the most precious thing. These kids were all under age 2 and hearing them sing was the sweetest sound. When we were leaving this morning, there was a group of about 3 year olds outside playing right where we walk. They all came running to me as we walked by. Oh my heart!!! I wanted to bring them all home. Even in those brief moments, I can tell these kids are so loving and it breaks my heart knowing they are in an orphanage. I am already planning my next trip here in my head. As we drove away, they were all standing there, bundled up, waving good-bye to us.

Tomorrow I have pre-court. Assia told me that Olga will prepare me this afternoon. Court is the one thing I am nervous about. It is like the final exam of the semester. I know once we get past it, all will be fine. Court is still hopefully going to happen on January 21 and Olga is buying tickets for us to fly to Almaty that night. Please say some extra prayers for us that day!

I can't believe I forgot to mention this earlier, but Abby turned 10 months old on January 11. We had a big celebration of eating cheerios and playing with blocks. :-)

I want to thank you all so much for writing and apologize again I don't have time to respond. Between my schedule and the internet cafe's schedule, I only get about 1 hour a day here. But please know that your words and stories from home help keep me going!!! Take care everyone - and I am mighty jealous of that 60 degree weather in Atlanta!! :-)

Hello everyone!

Well it has been a busy couple of days here in Uralsk. My afternoon visit yesterday with Abby was one of the best yet. She was smiling non-stop and lots and lots of laughs! A man also came to take her passport and visa photos. While I have not seen them yet, I feel confident that hers will be much better than my visa picture was! :-) Abby did wonderful and stared at the photographer in what I now know is typical Abby style. Assia told me it sometimes takes an hour to get the babies to cooperate so I am very proud Abby did it in 5 minutes. She spit up several times yesterday afternoon but obviously still felt fine so I cleaned it up each time and we just kept on playing.

Last night I had made arrangements to meet the American woman I met on the flight to Uralsk (she and her husband work here). We were to meet at 6:30 but Assia and Igor were not too keen on me walking since it is way past dark by then. I was not completely clear on the arrangements when we dropped off Assia. Every time Igor drops me at my apartment, he walks me up the 3 flights of stairs to make sure I get in ok (he is truly the nicest man). Usually he leaves saying "9:40" or "3:40" depending on the next time he will pick me up. Well last night I asked him what time I would see him. I thought he knew how to tell time in English but he got this uh oh look and it was then I realized he knows "9:40" and "3:40" only. :-) With the miracle of fingers though, we figured it out and he picked me up at 6:25 to drive me to meet the American lady.

We wound up going once again to Chagala (totally fine with me) and this time I got toasted cheese sandwich. It was a custom thing for me because it usually has ham on it. Not quite a grilled cheese sandwich but it was really good. I found out Nancy (American lady) and her husband have met several of the adoptive families while here. It was great talking English and I learned more about Uralsk. She also promised to take me to a great place to buy souvenirs on Friday.

From Chagala, it is about a 20 minute walk to my apartment. It was so cold last night and this was truly the coldest I have been since arriving here. It took me a long time to warm up.

This morning Olga was with Igor to pick me up. As I suspected she would, Olga did ask me about my walk home. I don't think she was too happy I walked home after dark but I assured her I was not alone. Olga is extremely protective. I'm sure she is protective of all the families here but I do wonder if she looks out for me even more since I am alone. I truly can not say enough good things about Olga, Igor, and Assia. They are absolutely wonderful and I already know I will miss them so much when I leave.

This morning's visit with Abby was not the usual for her. I could tell immediately she did not seem herself. She was quieter and did not smile very much. I think she was tired but her 2 upper teeth are also coming through now and I don't think she feels very good. So, today I heard her cry for the first (and second) time. Poor little thing. It is also getting hard to be in the same room with nothing new and her being limited to the still small blanket. But for now we will both just have to make do.

After my morning visit, Igor, Olga, and Assia took me on my excursion. I loved it. They drove me around Uralsk and pointed out different sights and I was able to take some pictures. We actually went inside an environmental museum (like a natural history museum). It was very small and the lady had to turn on the lights for us. Some very interesting animals (stuffed, I should add) were in there and Assia had to tell me what several of them were.

We also went in a very beautiful old cathedral. It looked similar to the one I visited with Dima in Almaty. It is Russian Orthodox and seemed similar to a Catholic church. No pews anywhere. I asked Assia about this and she said people stand during the service. I think services at home would be much shorter if we had to stand for the whole thing. :-)

I saw many war memorials, including one where Igor's grandfather was honored for his bravery in WWII. I found out today that Uralsk has 240,000 people living here. It was a great excursion. :-) I have also vowed to use that word more.

After the excursion, Assia and I took my film to be developed. I have to take pictures of Abby and me to pre-court (which I found out will be this Thursday). The camera place is inside a furniture store which was quite interesting. Also, here, you pay when you drop off the film and then if any of the pictures don't turn out, they will give you some money back. I think the "normal" size here may be larger than our 4X6, but I will see this afternoon when I get them back.

Assia and I went to an awesome bakery for lunch. For those of you who know me, this next sentence may shock you, so please brace yourselves. I ordered, ate, and even enjoyed, a kind of potato and mushroom sandwich. And it was fantastic. For those who don't know me, I normally can not stand mushrooms. At all. Not even a little bit. But every other sandwich had meat so this was my best bet. I am calling them sandwiches, but they are really more like hot pockets. :-) A new favorite of mine too. I also had a vanilla milk shake that was great. Here's the thing though - milk shakes come in cups roughly the size of a dixie cup. And it was just enough. Super size has not yet made it here and I think that is a good thing.

Today Olga is buying my ticket for the flight back to Almaty. I had to make the decision whether or not to buy a seat for Abby. I opted not to and truly hope I made the right decision. The flight is over 3 hours but on the way here, the plane was not full so I am hoping this will be the case going back. I believe it is a late night flight so
maybe she will sleep. Hey, a girl can dream, right? :-)

It is a beautiful though cold day here today. It is 13F but there is a definite wind today and with the wind chill it feels like 0. Warmer than yesterday but not much. Now that it has not snowed in a few days, the snow on the sidewalks and roads is getting pretty slick where everyone is walking or driving. I have not yet fallen but I'm sure that day is coming. :-)

Take care everyone!!

As I am writing this at 12:30 in the afternoon, it is -8 degrees F (that is actually the temperature - not windchill). Yes, it is cold. I have really gotten used to it though and with my coat, hat, boots, and gloves, I am even comfortable outside. The only things that are very cold are my cheeks and my knees. My coat comes to just above my knees and then my boots are just below my knees. All in all, not bad. I understand it is pretty chilly in the east coast back home. I hope you are all staying warm too. Right now, I think 20 degrees would feel downright balmy. :-)

I can't believe I left Atlanta one week ago today. In some ways time goes by fast (my hours at the Baby House are mere seconds) and in some ways time goes backwards (much like in the movie Risky Business where he watches the clock click in reverse).

My morning visit with Abby was great. She is really "talking" up a storm. Lots of babbling - just like me. :-) It is so precious. I think she is beginning to be bored with that one room and the same toys though. We practiced "walking" today. I hold her fingers and she walks around the blanket. I can't wait to see her outside the baby house. It is going to be such a new world for her and I can't wait to see it through her eyes.

They were late bringing her to me today because she was with the doctor. The doctor had given her some kind of ointment for her cheeks. They are definitely dry and very red but I know it is something we can take care of when we get home. They did let me have a whole hour with her even though we started late. Other favorites for Abby include jumping (I hold her on the floor and lift her above my head - she LOVES this and laughs every time), stacking cups, blocks, making noises with books, and dancing. You think I'm joking about the dancing but she will really bounce to the beat of whatever song is playing. When I hide something under the stacking cups, she uncovers whatever it is immediately. Melanie - I think she will love the Elmo track!! :-)

I do not get to see any other children at the baby house. I hear them crying etc., but don't get to see them. The other day when I was leaving, they had about 10 of the toddlers outside all bundled up. They all looked like the little boy from "A Christmas Story" and could not even move their arms but at least they got to be outside for awhile. Every day on the way to and from the Baby House, I see many children. You don't see a lot of strollers out, but I do see a lot of sleds. Very fun looking way to get around!

They asked me to bring Abby another warm sweater so after my visit today we went to the Big Market and I bought her a little sweatshirt. It is cute. For those of you who are very into color coordinating your children's clothes, this may not be the place for you. They don't worry with colors or matching in the baby house. If it fits, they wear it. The more layers the better. I still am not completely sure how big Abby is under all those clothes. :-) The clothes I brought for her all fit though - which is good.

Last night I ate pizza at the Chagala Hotel. It was so good. It is not like pizza at home but I loved it. They even let me bring home leftovers so I will have it for dinner tonight too. I ate at the bar there which has a tv and they let me have control of the remote so I watched the BBC World channel and soaked in every word. Sadly, the entire report was about a Russian city so filled with pollution that most of the people are very sick.

The Baby House was hopping again today. It is very empty on the weekends and also very dark. I was glad to see the activity today. Several people came in to compliment the blanket I bought. They really like it (it is a very royal blue and has a large puppy's head on it). I plan to donate it to the Baby House when we leave as I know I won't have room for it.

Assia and Igor are taking me on an "excursion" tomorrow. I have no idea what we will do but am very excited! I hope they will show me a lot more of Uralsk. Ok, that's it for today. Stay warm and write me when you can!! Please continue to keep Abby and me in your prayers.

It was a sunny day in Uralsk!!!

After several days of dark snow clouds, today was an absolutely beautiful day. It was so nice to see the sun!! The days here are also very short right now. It doesn't get light until about 9:00am and is pretty dark by 5:00pm.

My last few visits with Abby have been so wonderful!!! She is the most amazing and incredible baby. And smart. Yesterday I graduated her to her new larger blanket and by yesterday afternoon she had figured out what her new boundary was. Now she crawls to the edge of the blanket turns around and smiles and then makes a break for it. There will be no keeping this girl back! She has some other very funny things she does too. My other favorite is what Assia and I now refer to as her Princess pose. She will lay on one side and ever so casually cross one leg over the other. All she needs is some grapes and some men carrying her around and she will be good to go. It is soooo funny. I wish I could find a place to post photos so you could all see.

Abby laughs more and more each day. The first couple of days she made me work for a smile but now she almost volunteers them. Cheerios are definitely a big hit. And banging. Anything she can find to bang is pretty darn cool. :-) Assia had a headache today and I'm not sure she appreciated the noise as much but with a relatively small border to play in there is only so much you can do. This afternoon when they brought her out to me, they had her hair in this little clip. Oh my gosh but it was adorable. For those of you who have not seen her picture, she has hair but there is not much to actually clip.

I love her more every time I see her. And when I am not with her I am thinking about her. I can not wait for each visit!!! I get very excited when it is 9:30am or 3:30pm because that means Igor will arrive soon to take me to see her.

OK - more life in Uralsk for you. Last night was a big night in the Green apartment. Wash night. I realize I sound very Laura Ingalls Wilder that I planned a night around this, but I am happy to report all went well. The washer is very tiny and takes almost 2 hours to wash one load. I'm not convinced how clean everything really is but there was soap, there was water, and there was spinning so I'm calling it a success. No dryers here. I had to hang my clothes around inside the apartment. There is a clothesline out on the porch but everything would freeze in about 20 seconds out there so I dried them inside instead. When I woke up this morning everything was dry. Woo hoo! Life is good.

I have been walking each day from my apartment to the Internet cafe. It is about a 10 minute walk and now that I know the way, I really enjoy it. Today the Internet cafe was closed though, so I wound up walking around for about an hour. It was extremely cold but the day was so nice and it was really great to be out of the apartment. I feel 100% safe walking here. If the weather were warmer, I would do even more of it.

Right now I am at the Chagala Hotel. The internet is more expensive here but it is worth it to me since they are open. I will try to eat before Igor picks me up. This afternoon Igor had his son Maxim with him. That little boy is the cutest kid!!! And has the most beautiful eyes. We got stuck in a snow bank near the apartment which was kind of fun. A car was sitting in the way so we attempted to go around him and next thing you know, snow is flying by the window. We all got out of the car and Igor was able to move it but it was a moment of entertainment.

I have realized I take so many things at home for granted. Especially little things. Like toilet paper. I brought 2 rolls with me and believe me I wish I could have had room for more. I am using it so sparingly to try to save every bit I can. The toilet paper here is truly like brown crepe paper. There are many other things I take for granted too. Like choices in the grocery store. They only have 1 or maybe 2 brands of things here (except for vodka which took up an entire row of shelves). I also take for granted my car. Most people here do not own cars. They either walk everywhere or have someone else drive them. Pedestrians don't necessarily have the right away though. They cross when they feel like it but cars will wait until they are almost on top of them before they honk the horn. This is funny to me because by the time they honk, it is truly too late.

Speaking of cars, many people in my apartment must have drivers pick them up. My first day here I had not yet learned which car was Igor's (I swear almost all of them are white cars). So 2 different times I thought Igor was here and attempted to get in a white car only to hear "NYET" (translation: NO). :-)

One mroe thing about my apartment. My bed at the apartment is totally fine for me but I imagine taller people have some trouble with it. It is very close (maybe 1 foot) from the ground but it is also extremely short. My feet can touch the foot board. For those who don't know me personally, I am 5'3". I'm telling you, it is a little bed. :-)

Well, I am going to try to get something to eat while I am here. I hope you all had a great Sunday. Please keep those emails coming. I can't tell you how great it is for me to read messages from home.

Happy Saturday!

It has been snowing nonstop since yesterday morning. I was trying to figure out how many inches (or feet) of snow but you can't tell because there is nothing to compare it to. Snow covers everything! They just kind of pack it down and walk on top.

I have had 2 more visits with Abby since my last post and they have been sooooooo wonderful!!! Each visit I get more laughs and smiles out of her. Today I asked if I could feed her cheerios and they said yes. She loved them!! Her little feet would just kick as she ate. It was really adorable. We played more with the blocks and just basically did baby stuff. I could kiss those big cheeks all day long. They have the radio on while we are in the music room so we dance a lot too. She is quite the little dancer. :-) Every visit too, she makes more eye contact with me and loves to pat my nose. It is really funny. I still have not seen her cry yet but towards the end of our visit this morning she was getting sleepy and started snuggling against my shoulder. It was the most precious thing.

So, let's see what else to tell you about life in Uralsk. Several of you have asked what I do to entertain myself between visits. Well, the afternoon is not bad at all. I go to the internet cafe (where I am now) or shopping (which we did earlier today) but the evenings are a bit longer. If it was not the dead of winter and so cold outside, I would probably venture out more on my own but it gets dark at 5:00pm here so when they drop me off at my apartment, I basically stay in for the night. I have 3 books with me and am reading The DaVinci Code right now. It definitely keeps me entertained!! I am trying to pace how much I read though because I don't want to finish the books too early and be stuck without.

I have tried watching some tv but here in Uralsk I only get about 4 channels and they are all in Russian. Last night I think I was watching some kind of circus. I also think I may have watched a Russian televangelist. It was a man dressed in a blue suit yelling and crying a lot. I have no idea but it was pretty funny. I have watched a few Russian soap operas too. These seem to be on at any hour and are full of many angst filled expressions by the stars as well as dramatic pauses. It is even better than the soap operas on the Spanish channel at home. Oh, and I saw a commercial for Murder She Wrote in Russian. The funny thing is Angela Lansbury's character is dubbed in Russian by a man. It appears as though Angela is quite masculine. :-)

Today Assia and I went to the Big Market. Yes, I finally bought a bigger blanket for Abby so she can crawl more. This blanket is so funny. It is very, hmmm, how do I say, fuzzy?? I wish I could bring it home but it is so thick I doubt I will have room. I also bought a tiny radio so I can listen to music at night. I love the music here - very cool dance type music. Igor always has it on the radio and it is great. I will leave the radio in the apartment for the next family to stay here.

My trip to the market today was interesting. Assia needed to get a few groceries. Last time I was there I did not go near the meat section but today we did. This is the first time I nearly got sick here. The meat is not covered in any way and the smell was really hard for me. The Big Market truly sells everything. Everything from meat to furniture and all in between. It is almost like a bazaar with different sections. When I bought my radio they sold it to me without a box or anything. Oh, and it cost next to nothing.

For those of you keeping score in the Shower vs. Gayla, after today the score is:
Shower 2
Gayla 0

I'm holding out hope I will be victorious tomorrow.

I have had several of you ask me about the time difference here. Well Uralsk is 9 hours ahead of Eastern time. So, right now it is 12:47pm and there in the East coast it is 3:45am. When I go back to Almaty the time difference is 11 hours.

The snow is really incredibly beautiful. Yesterday I mentioned the lines on the streets? Well today there are no lines and I can barely tell where there are streets at all. I have seen many people outside with shovels but it seems to fall as fast as they can shovel.

My driver Igor is absolutely wonderful (as is everyone here). He speaks about as much English as I speak Russian but we somehow do just fine. Yesterday he pointed out 2 different "oops". Oops, in case you are wondering are car accidents. When I saw the 2nd one, I said "Oops?". He smiled and said "oops".

Also, for those of you who asked, it is harder every day to leave Abby after our visits. I swear they fly by. Each time Assia sleeps while Abby and I play but she somehow pops up exactly when it is time to leave.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Mine will be pretty much like the weekdays with Abby visits and that is the greatest way to spend any day. I'm not sure if the internet cafe is open tomorrow but if it is I will be here to post. :-)

Hi everyone!

Well, since my last post I have officially had 2 meetings with Abby and the only word that comes close to describing it is pure heaven!!! She is all I have been imagining and even more - so beautiful, sweet, charming, and curious. Let me back up and give you some of the story. Igor and Olga were supposed to pick me up at 3:40 yesterday. Well they did not arrive until 4:00. I can't remember if I have described my apartment and its door to you but think Fort Knox and multiply by 7. My first few attempts at the locks have required about 10 minutes to lock the door and get out. And much patience to refrain from saying something I shouldn't - after all I don't want Abby's first words to be something that requires a phone call home from her teachers. Anyway, I finally made it outside (little update - I have gotten much faster with the doors - yes plural - I have 2 doors just for my apartment and that is not counting the doors to the building itself which are made of some kind of steel that would make Pittsburgh envious).

Soooo - we finally get to the baby house and I get to meet with the baby house director. She asks me many of the questions I have already answered and then tells me all about Abby's medical history - nothing new from her medical I received with my referral aside from her weight which is now 8k (about 17 pounds)! By this time it is about 4:40 and they take me into the music room where we will have our visits. The music room is very nice and there is a Christmas tree in it roughly the size of the Rockefeller tree. Puts my little Charlie Brown tree to shame! :-)

And all of a sudden, there is Abby! She is absolutely beautiful!!!!!!! The caregiver hands her to me and Abby did not cry at all. She just stared at me. It was priceless. Those of you who think I can stare? I've got nothing on this kid. She has the staring thing down to a science. Anyway, it was just the most amazing moment. I didn't cry either but I think that is because I was so incredibly happy. So we get on the floor and I got out a few toys for her (Goodnight Moon book and some very fun Fisher Price blocks). She LOVED the book and banged the heck out of those blocks. I just kept kissing her cheeks in between books and blocks. Everyone left the room except for Assia who laid down on the floor and went to sleep. After about 15 minutes I got the tiniest of smiles from Abby and then all of a sudden Assia sprang up as if from the dead and announced "That's it - time's up". I didn't think she was serious at first but she was. Turns out it doesn't matter what time you get there, ending time is the same because they have the kids on very strict schedules. So they took her from me and we said "paka paka" (bye bye). Best 20 minutes of my life!

While we were waiting on Olga, Abby's main caregiver told me through the interpreter that Abby is a very good natured baby and cries only when she is hungry or tired or doesn't feel well. She definitely seems very even tempered.

When we left, I went back to the apartment and attempted some unpacking. I can't remember if I mentioned here or not, but the blanket on my bed was some kind of fur thing that, well, I won't go into details. Fortunately, I was able to find a clean cotton one so I did a little rearranging with the fur one that I have decided to name Hugo. Last night I was able to get a really good night's sleep and this despite all the noises. The apartment is very loud but I am a city girl and so far it doesn't bother me. The heavy metal door is right close to my bedroom so every time anyone went in or out I definitely knew about it.

On to this morning. I hope I get much better with this shower than today because it was a battle of wills and I totally lost. The apartment has an apartment journal where families share stuff about the apartment and town. I had read in it that the shower works best if you turn on the cold all the way and then add the hot gradually. I did this but once I switched from bath to shower all bets were off. It had a way of going from scalding to freezing with no in between. Not to worry though, I am determined to find a way to make that thing work.

Olga and Igor were right on time this morning and we picked up Assia on the way to the Baby House. They had asked me to bring 5 diapers per day and an outft for Abby. Oh, and a blanket for her to play on. So I brought all these things. Assia took them the diapers and outfit. I gave them a slightly smaller one of the things I had brought to get an idea about size (6/9 month outfit). When they brought her in, she looked adorable and only slightly like the Michelin Man. I was thinking she was larger than I had imagined but then I realized that underneath this outfit they had a few layers of clothes. Plus I had given them a onesie to put under it so heaven knows how many clothes she was really wearing. She was very well padded. :-)

Our meeting this morning was so much fun. We played and played and she laughed (sweetest laugh in the whole world) whenever I kissed her cheeks today. I got scolded a little bit for letting her crawl off the blanket I brought. Well the blanket I brought is a regular baby size blanket. Not a lot of room for crawling! But Abby was good natured about me having to stop her from crawling. She is a busy baby. :-) I helped her stand by holding her fingers and while she is not ready to do this on her own she had fun. No crying at all today either.

Yesterday they told me that she has allergies to sweet juice and that is why her cheeks are so red. Well, if that is true I must have the same allergy because by the time we left, my cheeks were very red too. I don't argue anything though if I was a betting girl, I would say the red cheeks just might be a result of an incredibly warm baby house. Emphasis on incredibly.

The people at the baby house are so nice and I can tell they adore these children. I wish I could speak Russian to attempt to thank them for taking such great care of Abby.

It is snowing very hard today and is quite cold outside. Olga has already informed me I must wear my hat. I don't think they understand why I don't always wear it but sometimes we are outside long enough to run from the car to the door. I asked Igor to drop me off at the Chagala Hotel (where I am right now) because they have an internet computer here and an english menu. The hotel is very nice but from the outside looks like army barracks.

A few things to share with you as to some differences here.
1. Painted lines on the street are merely suggestions as drivers pretty much drive wherever they want.
2. Everyone wears hats and the men mostly wear the cool fur hats.
3. It is cold.
4. You do not wear shoes inside. Ever from what I can tell. I brought my slippers and wear them inside the apartment but at the baby house I must take off my shoes before they bring in Abby.
5. Did I mention it is cold?
6. The water has a very different smell. I'm not even sure what to compare it to.
7. They do not have peanut butter. :-( This was one thing I knew to bring but it got cut in packing round 3.

I am doing great and thank you all sooooo much for your emails. I have not been able to respond to them but read every one. I miss you all but am so happy here with Abby. I can not wait until 4:00 this afternoon when I get to go back. I also can't wait to bring her home!!! Please keep the emails coming - reading them is one of the highlights of my day!

Hello from Uralsk!

I am going to apologize upfront because this post is going to be kind of short. My jetlag officially kicked in and it took me a good 30 minutes to figure out how to switch this keyboard to English. :-)

Things are still going great. Yesterday afternoon my driver Dima took me to do a little sightseeing around Almaty. We went to Central Park (including a beautiful cathedral and a WWII memorial). We also went to a nearby mountain for a lovely (though pollution filled) view of Almaty.

This morning my driver picked me up at 3:45am for my 5:15am flight to Uralsk. That was quite the adventure as this part of the airport was more like a bus stop but not much English going on. I just kind of followed the crowd and managed to get both me and my luggage (which cost me about 9000 tenge because it was over the weight limit) on the plane. I wound up meeting an American woman while waiting on the plane (which was about an hour late). She and her husband work in Uralsk and are in the process of moving to Almaty. It was pretty cool to speak fluent English. :-)

The flight to Uralsk was about 3 hours and is 2 hours behind Almaty timewise. The plane stopped on the tarmac and we walked to a small building. Let me just say...... It is cold. I was pretty happy to have my big coat and hat. My facilitator Olga and driver Igor were waiting on me and after we gathered my luggage we were off to Uralsk. The drive was about 25 minutes and was very pretty. Snow everywhere of course but the moon was full and absolutely stunning. Quite an entrance to my daughter's birth city.

We stopped by my apartment and home for the next 2 weeks. This apartment is more modest than the one in Almaty but will do just fine. It is huge! My first moment to be nervous followed dropping my stuff at the apartment. We went to meet with the Minister of Education. Imagine me, my interpreter Marina, Olga, 3 women from the Minister's office, and the Minister all sitting around a HUGE table. They were all speaking Russian. Then came the reason I was ther - to answer the minister's questions. Olga had prepared me earlier for how to answer some of the questions but he even asked me things they did not figure he would. The woman also asked lots of questions. Anyway, I was very nervous but at the end Marina told me he wished me the best and said he knew my daughter would have a better life with me. I think that is the first time I breathed during the whole meeting. :-)

After this meeting, my regular interpreter Assia and Igor took me to the store to get groceries. It was very cheap. I got things like yogurt, fruit, bread and cheese.

And now I just have to wait 3 more hours before we go to the baby house!!! :-) It has already been a very long day but I truly can not wait. This internet cafe is only 3 or 4 blocks from my apartment and my schedule should get kind of routine now so I hope to be able to post more tomorrow.

Thank you so much to all of you who have written me!!! I appreciate so much!

I'm here!!!

Well, I'm not even sure where to start but I am here and doing great!! My flights were fine though incredibly long. The flight from Atlanta to Frankfurt was probably the most interesting one so far. I sat in the aisle next to a woman (who was sitting by the window). Let me start by saying she got up every hour. I only slept a couple of hours on that flight (and not consecutive hours either) but during one moment when I was asleep, all of a sudden I had the feeling of a shadow passing by me. I opened my eyes to see the woman next to me standing in her seat with one leg on the arm rest. I caught her just as she was preparing to jump over me. Yes, jump over me. If it helps give you a better idea, this woman slept with the tray table down and her legs on the table. :-) So, after 9 hours next to this woman, I was pretty happy that we landed in Germany.

Anyway, the layover in Frankfurt was actually the toughest part so far because I was so tired. I did all I could not to fall asleep. The layover was about 3.5 hours and finally we boarded a bus to go to the plane for Almaty. I met 2 other WPA families on the bus. They looked 1)American, 2)exhausted, and 3)happy beyond belief. All things I am sure I looked too so I took a chance and introduced myself. It was really nice to be on this leg of the trip with others! The flight to Almaty was also very long (7 hours) and we had another time change of 5 more hours so we arrived after 11:00pm local time in Almaty. I wish I could accurately describe the approach into Almaty. It was so dark, and foggy, and snow was everywhere. It reminded me of the book The Polar Express.

We deplaned and took another bus to a small building looking exactly like you would imagine a building to look from the Soviet days. I apparently have the same luck with standing in line in Kazakhstan that I do in the U.S. Every time I moved to a shorter looking line, it turned out to be the new long line. I was pretty much the last person to make it through Customs but they let me through after checking my passport and visa. Next we moved downstairs to get luggage. I have never been so happy to see 2 suitcases in my life!!! Everything arrived and even intact! On the plane we had to complete declaration forms (which I had done). It turned out though that I should have completed 2 of these forms. I even vaguely remember reading that somewhere but by this point - well, I'm impressed I was able to walk. :-) Anyway, one of the security guys kept telling me "Two" over and over. I had zero idea what he was talking about. He eventually found a woman who spoke Russian and English to explain I had to do another form and then all was right with the world. By the way, to get an accurate picture of the building and people - think Dr. Zhivago. Only without the soundtrack.

So, now we all take our luggage outside where like 1000 taxi drivers are trying to get everyone to go with them. Just like at home. Through the sea of fur hats though I spotted the nicest man with a sign saying "Gayla Green". This was my driver, Dima, and he and Dilnova (also from WPA) took me to my apartment for the night. The drive to the apartment was about 25 minutes and was so pretty and surreal. It was extremely foggy, snow is everywhere, and they still have lights up from the holidays.

My apartment here in Almaty is SO nice!!! I took pictures but may not have time to post them today. It has a living room, kitchen, computer room, bedroom, and bathroom. I completely crashed last night. It was about 1:00am here by the time I got in bed. I slept until my alarm went off. A good deep sleep. My shower this morning was probably in my top 5 showers of all time. Not that I usually rank my showers but after 2 days of airplanes and no sleep, this shower was heaven. I must add that the apartment is HOT. The heat is turned on and controlled by the city so you don't have any choice about it but it was easily 82 degrees in there. I slept without a blanket.

This morning Dima picked me up and took me to Gulbanu's office where I signed a lot of paperwork and turned over most of my money. Colene - I gave Gulbanu one of the calendars and she loved it! She also told me about my schedule. I will fly in the morning to Uralsk. My flight leaves at 5:15am so Dima will pick me up at 3:45am. Fortunately I am not really used to this time zone as I am about to change time zones again. Uralsk is 2 hours behind Almaty.

But the best part of tomorrow is I finally get to meet Abby!!!! I can not wait for this moment. Gulbanu pulled up pictures of Abby today and told me she thinks Abby looks like me a little. :-) Gulbanu also told me that all the babies in Abby's baby house are sick - except for Abby. I hope she does not get sick!!

My schedule is still very up in the air apparently. They are now hoping I will have court on Jan. 22 but if it gets moved I will definitely have to stay here longer (like a week longer) because of the next available court date. I'm just going where they tell me.

Right now I am at the Ramstore with my driver. He brought me here to pick up a few things and use the internet cafe. I have seen pictures of the Ramstore from other families but it totally is very reminiscent of a mall from home - only everything is, of course, in Russian. It is like a very nice mall - complete with ice skating rink. After I finish up here I will get some lunch.

As you can tell - I am doing great and could not be in better hands. Everyone says it but it is indeed true!! I will try to post again tomorrow evening from Uralsk.

And I'm off..... :-)

Yes, I am pretty well packed now. Good thing too because nothing else is going in those bags. I think one more cotton ball and the whole thing would just go. I pity any security agent who attempts to open either bag. He or she would be standing knee deep in a plethora of, well, stuff.

I do have to break for a minute to advertise for the compression bags I wound up using. These bags are the coolest things since the Flow-bee. Ok - before you ask, no, I never actually owned a Flow-bee, but I am a fan. Anyway, back to the compression bags. You put in your stuff and poof! All the air is gone and your stuff looks like something the astronauts would pack. I did discover one slight downside. Once you open the bag, the wrinkles are, shall we say, quite evident. I am truly living on the edge though and not even traveling with a travel iron.

In case you can't tell, I am incredibly calm today. INCREDIBLY excited, but pretty darn calm. :-) I'm just so ready to get on that plane. For those of you who wondered if I would be able to sleep last night, I actually did. I woke up very early at 5:00 but I did cherish my last night (for 3 weeks) in my own bed.

OK everyone, I should probably get busy with all those 500 last minute things I have to do before leaving. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and I will post again as soon as I can.

I have finally made it to the day before leaving. The last 2 weeks have been a blur of shopping, to do lists, packing, and more to do lists. Getting ready to leave the country for 3.5 weeks is kind of overwhelming by itself. Add to that all that is necessary for the adoption (paperwork etc.) and things for Abby and well, you start to get an idea. :-) As I have said so many times before - it is worth every second. I simply can not wait until I can hold her for the first time!!!! Some people go through a delivery in a hospital and I am going through a delivery of a different kind. Actually I think the real delivery will be the 30 hour trip home. :-) Only, I'm guessing the flight attendants won't be giving me an epidural.

I was finally able to get almost everything in my bags last night. When I say almost everything, that does not include the extensive list of things I have already deemed must stay home. I am down to the absolute basics now as to what I am taking with me.

I am traveling alone on this trip. Many families have travel partners but I will be the only person from my agency in Uralsk. I am not worried about this as I have heard only the best about the in country facilitators who will be taking care of me. And there will be other families in Almaty when I am there with Abby (for the last week in January). Who knows, I may come back preferring Russian television. I have heard that Oprah speaking Russian is about all anyone really needs for entertainment. We'll see.

For those of you who are interested, my schedule is as follows:
Jan. 5 – Fly to Frankfurt for a few hours layover and then fly to Almaty.
Jan. 6 – Arrive in Almaty
Jan. 8 – Fly to Uralsk (where Abby is!)
Jan. 21 – Tentative court date
Jan. 21 – Fly with Abby to Almaty
Jan. 28 – Fly back to Frankfurt for a few hours and then fly to Atlanta!!!

Also, if you would like to email me while I am out of the country, I will be using gayla059@yahoo.com. I would love to hear from anyone (especially in English). :-)

Alright - I need to get back to packing and organizing my paperwork. I will try to post at least one more time before leaving tomorrow. Have a great Sunday!

I can't believe it is Friday. I got so much done today but have so much more to do still. I swear that today I saw a woman who looked exactly like Betty White and a man who looked exactly like Newman on Seinfeld (before he lost all that weight). I'm thinking that has to mean something. Kind of like if you drop a dish towel you know you will have company. I just don't know what it means if you see 2 celebraty look alikes in one day. Anyway, the Betty White look alike sold me a pair of boots. I can pretty safely say I have never owned a pair of boots that were truly made for real winter weather. We just don't have much need in Atlanta. When I was 5 years old I had some kickin' white go go boots. I don't guess those really compare either though.

Ok - so now I have boots. I also bought my gifts for Abby's caregivers today. Whew - another huge relief. For some of the gifts, I bought 6 leather journals. I could see the sales lady eyeing me. She probably thinks I feel I have a lot to say/write. Probably even better than that though was when I was buying 10 CDs. An older man made a beeline for me and proceeded to tell me that apparently I was just like him because he couldn't stop buying CDs either. I nodded and smiled and moved on. I did feel good about helping him justify his CD habit. :-) Hmmm, or maybe I am just a CD enabler.

A little update on last night's Stage One of Packing. Well, suffice it to say, that since only half of what I had laid out to take with me would fit in my bags, I then began Stage One of What Can I Leave At Home. Let's just say many things I thought I could not live without, I have now decided I can live without. I stopped myself before taking underwear out of my suitcase but have decided to leave the laptop at home. So, I'm not sure how much I will be able to post. Hopefully still every day while I am in Uralsk, but I will just have to roll with things over there.

Alright - enough for tonight. Happy Friday everyone. I'm back to packing and stuff.

Happy New Year! Well, so much for posting every day. :-) I sort of missed yesterday. Yesterday ended well but I ran into some snags early. The good news though - I got my money from the bank!!!! Yes, we were cutting it very close, but I have it now and this was one of the biggest reliefs. For those of you not familiar, I must have brand new bills to take to Kazakhstan with me. It is a cash based society and credit cards don't cut it. They also are afraid that old money is counterfeit, so the bills must be brand new (or look brand new). Anyway, I had to wait for the bank to receive new money but the teller manager was wonderful and came through for me. While I was in the little room counting my money, I showed her pictures of Abby. She proceeded to show the pictures to all the tellers. I have a feeling they will recognize Abby when we get home. :-) The funny thing is how small the stack of money actually is. I have totally been picturing a need to be handcuffed to a briefcase full of my money. Sadly, I won't get the opportunity to try out my spy capabilities as I will be able to fit the money in my money belt.

The snag I ran into was in the form of an email from the Embassy in Almaty. I had sent them an email making sure they had received my Cable Visa 37 (fancy words for "Gayla has been approved by BCIS for adoption"). They wrote me back that they did have my visa but that my fingerprints were not valid. A little more background for you.... I had my fingerprints taken (and approved) back in February 2003. The fingerprints are good for 15 months so I knew they were okay. Well after many phone calls, I came to find out that BCIS (new acronym for INS) has changed their policy and now puts the fingerprint dates on the approval form. When mine were approved however, this was not the policy and thus what the Embassy is looking at does not inform them about my fingerprints. Long story a bit shorter, a very nice lady at BCIS left me a message that she sent the fingerprint info to the Embassy. Hopefully they received it (I won't find out until tomorrow because of the holiday).

I can tell you that International Adoption requires much patience and diligence. Things have to be done just so and the rules are CONSTANTLY changing. Fortunately, I am with the best agency (World Partners Adoption) in the world and they are always on top of things.

Today I will attempt to work some and then continue with my checklists. I swear my checklists seem to grow daily. Much like a Chia Pet. :-) But all I have to do is look at Abby's picture and/or video and I know anything I am going through is SOOOOOO worth it. Four days and counting until I can get on that plane.

Happy New Year everyone!