Sunday, December 23, 2007

Saturday, December 22, 2007

I didn't think I'd make it..

But I'm home!! I am soooo sorry to all of you who have been waiting patiently for an update-- the last few days in Kazakhstan were crazy, running around for last minute souvenirs, things for Noelle's travel bag, supplies for our party with the caretakers, not to mention the parties themselves with both the caretakers and the pediatricians. With no internet at the hotel, it made keeping people up to date nearly impossible-- I even tried the Wi-Fi at Amsterdam airport, but I couldn't get it to work. So-- this is my official post to say all is well, court went well, and as of December 19th, I am officially Noelle's mother. I will post more details and pictures later today-- now, I have to go to the doctor's office, because I have been sick for most of the last 3 weeks!!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Here comes the judge!

My court date is tomorrow (Wednesday)! Mark it in your calendar-- December 19, 2007 is the day I will officially become Noelle's mother! (Hmmm.. Anyone know how you go about getting a day designated as a national holiday?)

Noelle is well today. She is pretty mellow during the morning visit, limiting her activity to lying down and playing with random toys. When she does venture away, it is usually because she has spotted something she can put in her mouth-- today that included a Russian stacking doll (the littlest one), a videocamera, a candy wrapper and a puzzle piece. If she knows any English by now, it is the word "no"! Yesterday afternoon, she was a bundle of energy-- playing games and walking (assisted by me) around the room again and again. She is doing very well picking up things that I am showing her-- she has started putting the rings onto the holder instead of just taking them off and, yesterday, she had an orange as a snack which I broke into pieces and she fed the pieces to herself. I don't know if this is new for her or not-- I haven't seen her eat any food that she could actually pick up-- but it was new for me! What else? She is much more verbal these days, especially in the afternoon and the caretakers tell me that is officially spoiled. She cries after I leave. Today, I went to bring her back and the whole room was crying, so she started as soon as I put her down. I didn't know what to do :( The caregivers shoo you away if you try to console them too much, and my departure was inevitable so I gave her a quick kiss and ran! Amicoe & Joe-- Ravi was upset during this little incident as well, so I took a few seconds to comfort him.. In general though, he is good! He was all smiles this morning, and Natalya came in to see him too and was holding him.

By the way, I think the caregivers think I am some kind of baby stalker.. I tried to go see Foxx yesterday, and the woman in his room gave me a very dirty look, told me he was sleeping, and NO! I am going to head to room 3 this afternoon to see all the kids there, if I can--this afternoon, Noelle's caretakers and I will be having a little party to thank them for the time and love they have given her. It should be fun, and I want to have lots of pictures of them to share with her later.

More soon.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

The Mamas and the Papas

Congratulations to: Chris, Holly, Ansana and newly adopted Foxx;
Josh and Miranda and newly adopted Hannah;
Glenn and Lynn and newly adopted Christa; and
Joe, Imecoe, Damir and newly adopted Ravi

These are the families in our group that went to court yesterday and were officially declared parents! They said the whole process went very smoothly (good to hear) and was relatively quick. I still will not to court until sometime next week-- much of next week is either a national holiday or a religious holiday here in Kaz.

Noelle is well-- I will get to see her twice today. And I will try to make a stop into some of the other rooms to check on some of the other kids, like Nicholas, Kyle & Galena.. I saw Foxx already today, and he was all laughs. The bad news-- I cannot post any photos! Of your kids or of my kid.. The internet server is completely dead at the hotel. For now, I have found this internet cafe, but I cannot upload photos and doing just about anything is deadly slow. I heard about another cafe in town, which I may try to check out tomorrow.. So, communication from here on out is going to be limited. I will post when I can, including any photos when I can. In the meantime, thanks for all of your supportive comments and emails-- it makes my day to read them (when I can! :))

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Please Stand By..

Major technical difficulties over here in Karaganda! The server we normally use is down for the count, so we do not have ready access to the internet at this time. I was able to hijack this computer for a few minutes to put up a post, but I cannot upload or email any pictures. Too bad, 'cause Noelle is looking pretty cute these days! Anyway, I will post more when I can.. I haven't been to the babyhouse yet today, so nothing new to report on Noelle. But it is an exciting day for the parents-- several of the families I am traveling with go to court today! The down side is, they will all start to leave in the next couple of days, leaving just myself and 3 other families for the remainder of the trip. I am going to miss them (except you, Holly :))

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Boooo! No visit today...


So, this is a picture from earlier this week..
Lots of surprises today: we were told yesterday that we would leave the hotel early to go shopping for any remaining items needed for their travel bag, but last minute the plan changed: the shopping trip was canceled and the parents who visit in the afternoon (me included) were told they would not get to visit with the kids today. But the reason was a good one—we all had our interviews with the Ministry of Education instead. The interview with the MOE is required and you have to get a thumbs up from them before you go to court. We were all very nervous going in, trying to anticipate the questions and figure out the best answer. Everyone seemed to get different questions, from how much do you make to do you miss your single life without kids. The questions I fielded focused mostly on my support system and how I was going to fare being a single parent. We all passed! Now, with this interview done and the 14 day required bonding period just about up (tomorrow is day 14 for me & several of the families), all but one major hurdle are behind us-- going to court! I am scheduled for Dec. 23rd and I can't wait..

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

I said, I want to do it!



This is going to be a quick post-- we are off to dinner outside the hotel. Yes, we are getting out. We actually went to this restaurant a few days ago to celebrate the birthday of one of the parents-- it's called Johnnie Walker's and it has a Scottish/British menu, with a Kazakh twist.

Anyway, Noelle was showing her stubborn streak today-- she wanted the spoon to feed herself, then she just wanted the spoon to chew on it. She is really teething right now, hence her "fish face".. She also got mad at me when I wouldn't let her take my glasses and she threw the tiniest of hissy fits-- then started laughing when I started making fun of her.. She was in a good mood-- I think the afternoon visits are better for her than the morning visits.. Now, I just have to have some energy :)
Posted by Picasa

Monday, December 10, 2007

Baby's got a new pair of shoes!


Noelle was very intrigued by the look of her new shoes today (they are very cute, with pink flowers and butterflys), but she definitely did not like the feel of them! She would not stand in them, let alone take some steps. She was a bundle of energy today, and was actually walking (with assistance, of course) around the room all afternoon. She got a little cocky towards the end: she leaned back on my legs, then waved away my hands-- but it took her a second to realize that she hadn't really thought this plan out, 'cause now she wouldn't let me touch her but she really couldn't do it herself yet! Mom, look in the background of the photo-- that's her bottle of formula. I tried it for the first time today, and again, she was not impressed. We will keep working on it, though. My visits are now in the afternoon, from 4pm to 6pm, so the kids are getting tired by the time we are leaving-- Noelle took a little rest during our visit, but in the end there was too much going on for her to keep her head down for too long. I also took the opportunity today to show some pictures of my family and home to Noelle's caretakers-- they are all very nice and very interested in where she will spend the rest of her life. Our "conversations" are pretty funny-- each of us can usually muster one word in Russian, one word in English and there is a lot of pantomime to fill in the rest!
Posted by Picasa

Friday, December 7, 2007

Noelle has discovered my glasses




And she likes them! Maybe a little too much, cause like every other baby I have ever known, she tried to pry them apart. Up until know, I've been wearing my contacts (to avoid such an issue) but today I was running soooooo late, I did not have time to get them in. Another quiet day at Shapgat. Noelle was awake when I arrived, but not dressed or fed, so we had to hustle through all of that. We did some more official paperwork today, for the Ministry of Education and for court. I learned Noelle's birth mother's name, that Noelle was born here in Karaganda, and that she was officially registered with the baby house on December 7, 2006-- so almost exactly a year ago. For 6 months she was on a registry that would allow only Kazakh families to adopt her, but nobody every did. Lucky for both of us!
No post tomorrow-- we do not have internet access.. See you Monday!

More pictures!





Just a few more pictures to make you all smile.. On top, Noelle is playing with her favorite toy-- a package of tissues.. In the middle is a prime example of her funny smile (yes, she's laughing).. And lastly, a little bit of Long Island here in Kaz.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Brian


Happy Birthday, Uncle Brian from the messiest eater in all of Karaganda! Noelle says she can’t wait to meet you (And I wish that was cake all over both us instead of cold cereal!)


Today’s visit went by in a flash. Noelle went to have a blood test done early this morning, so when I went to get her, she was back in bed taking a nap. I let her sleep awhile, but the caregivers decided it was time to get up—so after a quick, messy breakfast we headed in, to hang with the other kids. Noelle was either still tired or not feeling great again today (neither am I—a cold has taken hold), so she was pretty sedate for the first hour or so. It wasn’t until just before I had to leave that she perked up, but we had fun while it lasted. She is a good crawler, so she doesn’t need to roll around much but we played a game where I rolled her over and over—and she loved it. She just about got me in trouble because she wanted to roll off the carpet, onto the (cold) tile floor—a huge “nyet-nyet” around here! She was laughing her head off.. She also got a little silly with some of the toys she was putting in her mouth—just holding them with her teeth and gums, then dropping it directly from her mouth (yeah, a little like a dog with a bone, but don’t tell her I said that!).. But then she would look at me for a response and you could tell she knew she was being silly :)

Things are quiet at the Dostar Alem hotel right now. The other group of parents are at the baby house now. Last night we bowled again, and took a “tour” of the snack bar we found—anything to keep us out of our rooms for a few more minutes!!
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, December 6, 2007

She's got the beat!

I think I mentioned earlier that the baby house is getting ready for the upcoming Independence Day holiday (12/16). When we arrived today, the younger children were rehearsing a dance they will perform as part of the festivities – they were totally adorable. And during our playtime, a group of caregivers came into the room to use the piano to practice a song they will be singing. All of the kids stopped to listen, but Noelle really seemed to love it. She was sitting in my lap, waving her legs, then I had her standing, dancing her around. When the music stopped and I sat her back down, she was kind of bopping up and down in my lap—she didn’t want the show to end!

I hate trying on clothes-- nothing fits me right!



All of the kids being adopted here have to undergo a certain kind of "torture" each day—when the new parents pull out the bags of clothes that they have bought, to see if any of it fits! Not always an easy process, you see, because first you have to peel off 2 or 3 layers of clothes, just to get them down to a manageable amount of clothing. Nobody dares strip them down to their diaper—you always leave at least one of the layers that the caregivers deemed necessary, just so you don’t get in trouble :) Noelle is usually pretty compliant in this exercise, but today she had enough! You see, Mommy, she said, if you make me put my arms into those sleeves, I cannot play with this toy and I definitely cannot put it in my mouth! Of course, it actually sounded something like a high-pitched “aaaaaaggh”, but, man, she was not pleased with me! But I finally got her into one of her new outfits, the little pink number (the yellow duds are courtesy of the baby house), but you can still see in the picture that she is not entirely overjoyed about it. This is one of her “travel outfits”-- in mid January, the kids will be brought from here in Karaganda to the capital of Almaty, to be picked up by their respective parents. To prepare for that trip, we all have to provide a little travel bag, complete with clothes, diapers, food, etc. for the trip.
Most of it I have, but I still need to get some shoes. Ever try to trace the foot of a squiggely 1 year old? It turned out as well as you would expect!
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Noelle and Hippo


Noelle is getting to know one of her new friends, “Hippo”—a gift from her Aunt Ann.. Hippo is the latest in a long line of “loveys” coveted by the kids in our family. Grace has Kitty, Tommy has Lion, and Ronan has Doggy (3 really, but you don’t what to know how he distinguishes between them!) And for Noelle to be interested in Hippo, it is significant. Usually her tastes run more towards the toys she can put in her mouth or towards the things she is not allowed to have—she loves paper of any kind and of course, the tags on her clothes or blanket.

Noelle is feeling better today.. When I went to her room, she was yelling her head off, but she quieted down as soon as I picked her up. We had some breakfast and then off to the playroom. She still has that awful cough that many of the kids have, but no trace of a fever and she was full of energy today. Every time I put her down to do her thing, she would head off to check out what was going on with the other kids in the room. And when there is a toy she wants, she is motivated. I will usually put the a few feet away, so that she has to crawl to it, or (as suggested by my IA doc) on a chair, so she has to pull herself up to get it. There is another little girl who is very interested in Noelle’s toys and funny enough, the mini-picture album I brought of my family. Noelle has yet to look at the photos, but the other little girl has sought out the book 2 days in a row and just flips through it again and again. The two hours go very quickly, particularly when we have any “official business” to conduct. Yesterday, we had to leave the baby house early to go see a public notary and sign powers of attorney and other papers for the adoption. 18 more days before court! In theory—I don’t want to jinx it!

After the baby house, I ventured out to the mall again—there really is little else to do here other than shop. Actually, I take that back—there probably is, but we just can’t read any of the signs on the buildings to tell what they are!
Posted by Picasa

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!



It's snowing today! And the hotel just started to put up Christmas decorations-- this is the big tree in the lobby. The majority of the Kaz population is Muslim, but there must be a fairly large population of Christians here in Karaganda-- there is a Roman Catholic church under construction down the street. It is good to get a little taste of Christmas-- I was starting to feel like I had missed it.. Now I just need some Christmas music-- better yet, some Christmas cookies!
Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Crowd control, Kaz style

There are so many parents at the baby house this week (more arrived today!), they have cut our visits to just one 2-hour visit a day. The caregivers are also busy getting ready for an upcoming national holiday and the bottom line is—we’re kind of in the way! They are all very nice about it and are patient, but they need the time and space to get ready.

Noelle is still not feeling well, even thought she got a chance to model one of her new outfits. She has a bad cough and you can tell that her energy is completely zapped. I thought she may have had a fever today, but the doctors tell me no, her temperature was normal. Just in case, they gave her some Tylenol and an extra bottle to keep her hydrated. Halfway through our visit, she fell asleep on my shoulder—I guess nobody told her how little time we had! She woke just in time to catch me putting her into her crib, and she started to cry when she realized that I was leaving her there. It was the first time I had heard her cry, so it was a bittersweet moment

So what’s a girl to do when she had all this time on her hands? Shop, of course! You can see Noelle has some of her new clothes and she just loves them (she told me so, I swear!) Today, I ventured out again to the outdoor market to try my luck. The outdoor market is a funny place. It is like a flea market, I guess, but the stalls are all actually cargo containers. They open the door to the container and all of the merchandise is hanging inside. Much of the merchandise is new, but there are also “stores” selling used items and in some cases, just plain junk. And I now know that if you are intent on putting so many layers of clothes on your child (as they commonly do here), it is next to impossible to get them to match. Everything has a pattern, very little is just a solid color. And everytime I think I have figured out the sizes, boom! There is another sizing system to contend with. If you are very lucky, they tags have a weight chart on them. Some have the age range like 9 months, 12 months, etc. There is another system that runs in the double digits—Noelle is approximately a size 80 in those clothes. Some clothes are sized just 1, 2, 3, etc. 12 months equals a size 3. And lastly there is a system that combines 2 numbers that I think are the age and the size—so Noelle is a 1-80 in those. It’s just enough trouble to take all the fun out of my shopping spree!
Posted by Picasa

Stol-ka stoy it?

How much is it?: That was the question of the day today. Three other families and I hit the mall today to do a little shopping. Ostensibly, we were shopping for the kids and we did do a lot of that, but we did pop into a shop or two to check out the jewelry and fur coats on display. Animal rights activists would be appalled-- most of the women here wear fur coats. And we are not just talking about a little fur trim here or there—they have beautiful full length fur coats, and I am more than a little jealous. We don’t get to visit the kids today, but they were front and center in our minds. The babies are usually dressed when we arrive at the baby house, and when I say dressed, I mean dressed. There is not an inch of skin showing other than their heads and their hands. The other morning, Noelle had on stockings, a one piece coverall, 2 shirts, a sweater and a pair of pants that like overalls—all at the same time!. By the way, you will see these clothes in the pictures—and as they never match, please know that then outfits are not officially sanctioned by me in any way, shape, or form. So today, I bought her two cute little outfits (though the caregivers probably won’t approve—not enough layers!) Both have corduroy pants, one pair blue, the other pink. The pink pants have a white and pink sweater to go with it; the blue pants have a white shirt with a little blue flower and a blue corduroy poncho/cape to go with it. I don’t expect I will ever get Noelle to wear the cape, but the entire ensemble is so cute! Maybe if she likes her new clothes well enough she will stay still long enough for me to get more pictures of her!!
Posted by Picasa

Monday, December 3, 2007

A technical note!

I know it seems like I am behind on my days & posts, but our access to the internet is limited to twice a day (noon & 6pm here, 1am and 7am in NY) and we did not have any access yesterday at all. So I promise I will catch up!

She is ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille!

Saturday was a busy day at the babyhouse. When we arrived, I gave Noelle a her breakfast—a yummy (not) combination of some kind of rice cereal, chopped up boiled egg and pieces of soggy bread all mixed together in a bowl. The bowl is huge, by the way—you would never believe that the little bitty thing in front of you could eat it all, but Noelle just wolfs it down, and woe to the mommy who is a little too slow with the spoon. They are also given a coffee mug to drink from, and at breakfast there is Chai tea in that cup. Once we got back to the playroom, it was announced that all of the kids would have their photos taken for their passports. They also took a “new family” shot, that I believe becomes part of our file for court. After that, it was just more play, play, play. Noelle is one of the more mobile kids in the room, so we often end up visiting other families’ play areas—usually because Noelle has spotted something that she wants to play with. Often it is a toy, but she is just as content (maybe more) with the things that she’s not supposed to play with like paper from my notebook or markers or the tag on the blanket we play on. At least Noelle is all smiles even when she is being told “nyet” (for now!)

Saturday afternoon was a lot more sedate. Noelle is a little sick, I think with something like bronchitis, and all she wanted to do was cuddle. That was fine with me ‘cause I was dragging by that point! The adoptive parents also get to feed the kids a snack in the afternoon—this consists of a coffee mug with orange juice and a second mug with some kind of broth or hot milk with crackers or bread broken up into it. Most of the kids are winding down by this point in the day, and the room is like a sauna, so there is a lot of just rocking or walking around the room with the kids. Every time I put Noelle down on the floor to play and gave her a toy, she would drop it to her right side and crawl right back into my lap. I could get used to this.
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, December 2, 2007

A Baby By Any Other Name...

I think it's time to change the name of my blog, because I am not bringing home a Niamh or a Daniel. Yesterday I had to give the coordinator Natalya's new name. After 8 months of thinking I had names chosen, I was put on the spot! Though from here on out she will be leagally known as Natalya Noelle Mullan, and I will be calling her Noelle.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

More pictures!











I am way tired to write a full post at the moment, but I figure I can hold you all off for a while if I post some more pictures! More details later today.










Posted by Picasa