Home one week! Hallelujah!

We have been remiss in posting to the blog since we’ve been home, and hope you will accept our apologies! After a very long, long, long and tearful couple of flights, a tearful trip around the DC and Baltimore beltways, and catching up on some much-needed sleep, we have finally settled into a routine, and are finding energy to write and post! Coming home was the most difficult part of the journey but of course we are home and safe and happy now so those flights are becoming a distant memory.

Our week has been great! We are so incredibly happy to be home, and enjoying our son in our house, with our best cat O.J. and with all of our friends and family nearby to hug and enjoy. Our life here is very different now, but even more rich and fulfilling. Joshua has come to love and trust us, and we are going to work very hard every day to keep it all flowing to him, and each other (and OJ).

We’ve had a number of highlights in the last week, starting with Joshua’s first visit to our fantastic pediatrician, Ashley Block. Ashley and her husband Adam adopted their daughter Aliya from Kaz, She knows first-hand life in a BH, and promptly told us to feed Joshua more and have him sleep less, once he caught up on the time change. He’s now getting two naps a day instead of three, but he’s adjusted well. He loves rice cereal, buckwheat (from Kaz) and mixed grain cereal. Loves applesauce, pears, peas, and carrots. Ashley feels he’s doing great developmentally, and we just need to fatten him up! Plus he had to go get some blood tests, so while he was unhappy and cried, he took it well, and recovered quickly from that little trauma. We go back for a more in-depth visit on Monday, for vaccinations.

Other highlights of the week include a much-appreciated 3 day visit from Aunt Eileen, who helped us adjust the first few days we were home. Hallelujah for Eileen! Mother’s Day was fantastic, as Dave took great care of me, as I recovered from my cold, and showered me with lots of great gifts from Joshua. Babushka Judy and Dyedushka (sp) Dave came for a lovely visit on Mother’s Day too. Aunt Sally and cousin Meg came for a fun morning visit, and Aunt Eileen returned with Oma Marion for more on Monday! Also, cousin Lauren came this week too! We also had nice neighborhood jaunts in our fancy new stroller, getting to see the Cutairs, Yatovitzes, Borsettis, Roberts’ and Jenny Thompson (Derrick – Joshua’s been asking for you!). We also had a nice visit with Dara, who cared for OJ and our home while we were away. She's a wonderful girl, and we are so lucky to know her!

Joshua continues to enjoy meeting family and friends, and shows off his skills and charm whenever he has the chance. He’s very agile, and is starting to pull up whenever he can. He loves the exer-saucers from Linda Altemus and the Sakells! Thank you!!

I had a song in my head for most of our journey and experience to and from Kazakhstan. It’s just called “Hallelujah” – believe it’s been remade a number of times, but this rendition is more modern and very beautiful. I also wore my “Hallelujah” shirt on special days while in Kaz and also on the long flight home. The melody was all I could focus on when our little boy was so tired and cranky. With the song in my head, and knowing that the little boy I was holding and comforting was ours, that we were heading home finally, and that life was just so amazing, I found the strength in myself and in my wonderful husband to know that we would make it home – and be able to live a new life, now enriched with a new life and addition to our family. HALLELUJAH!

But I don't wanna' sleep

Top: Arrival at IAD (Dulles); Middle: Pulling in the driveway (thanks Jenny T & Ava!); Bottom: Joshua showing off his cool Kazakh passport to Aunt Sally and Mama

"I wanted to enjoy every minute of this flight to the good old US of A so I wasn't going to sleep a second" says Joshua after 24 hours of travelling and only sleeping for a cumulative 2 hours. Everyone was beat and grateful to be home. More tomorrow - thanks again for your patience.

Next stop: Home.

Top: First & Last - First time Dave feeding Joshua his entire breakfast and Last breakfast in Almaty; Middle: Another beautiful church; Bottom: Adoption HQ w/ Gulbanu (she makes it all happen for the children)

Most likely the next post we will add will be from stateside. The paperwork at the U.S. Embassy was completed today without a hitch. One final thanks to everyone who has followed along and sent support through email, blog comments, phone calls or just real strong vibes - all of it helped. To quote the late and affable MD State Comptroller, Louis L. Goldstein, "God bless you all, real good".

C'mon Midnight

Top: You know who waitin' for you know what; Middle: Church of St. Nicholas (no, not St. Nick) Bottom: Dave sportin' a ushanka (Russian fur hat with ear flaps)

Joshua called Lufthansa this morning and tried to upgrade us to first class for our flight home but they weren't buyin' what he was sellin' (we'll have to work on that one little guy). We are all looking forward to that bumpy ride home. Amy and I have consulted with Joshua Roman and he has assured us he will be on his best behavior as long as we are. It's a deal (ok, now he's got the hang of it).

Today, while Mama stayed home with the great little guy, I took a whirlwind trip of downtown Almaty. The people are as colorful as some of the buildings. It is interesting to see some of the old world soviet style architecture contrasted by more contemporary Kazakh buildings. Our friend and driver, Emil, drove me to the best souvenir shop in town, the Tsum Store where I was overwhelmed by Russian and Kazakh stuff. I gladly handed over my money to the clerks just to get out as quickly as possible and not have to make any more decisions.

Tomorrow, Amy and Emil will go to the Zeylony Bazaar (the Green Bazaar) to pick up an inexpensive stroller for us to use at the Almaty and Frankfurt airports. Afterwards, we have our final meeting with adoption HQ then off to the embassy to finalize our paperwork and then all we have to do is wait for midnight. C'mon midnight.

China is that-a-way

Top: Snow capped peaks are just above the cloud line; Bottom: Way off in the lower distance is the city of Almaty

On Sunday we took a jaunt to the mountains much to Joshua’s and Mama’s reluctance because of the elevation changes (we drove to 4,000 M) and the funky things it does to the ears – someday both Joshua and Mom will be glad we did. In reality, they both did a wonderful job and we made it a quick trip. Unfortunately, there were low clouds and the visibility was down but the drive itself was fantastic. Groves of very large birch, fir and spruce (60-80 feet tall) could be seen all along the S-turn switchbacks of the mountain road. We crossed over a crisp, clear mountain stream several times which is a favorite of “Polar Bear Swimmers” in the middle of the winter! We reached the parking lot of a ski lodge at the bottom of the ski lift area and looked up another 500 M and pondered that just on the other side of the ridge you could see Kyrgyzstan and China on a clear day – we really are on the other side of the world.

Early Monday afternoon now and Joshua and Amy are napping. Joshua needs to get home and Amy has picked up Joshua’s cold but holding up well. We are on the home stretch and not a moment too soon. The last big hurdle we have is the 24 hours of traveling ahead of us beginning when we are picked up to go to the airport at Midnight tomorrow night (Tuesday). After 2 lengthy flights from Almaty to Frankfurt then Frankfurt to Dulles including a 4 hour layover in FRA we will be back in the states. The instant we land on U.S. soil, Joshua will be a citizen of the United States of America, a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan and as wished by the Ministry of Education during our first interview in Uralsk a month ago, “A Citizen of the World”.

We're ready to come home

Top: Our drive to the airport; Middle: Our flight from Uralsk to Almaty; Bottom: Stroll along a promenade near our apartment building

May 5 & May 6, 2007

We’re ready to come home.

Including today we have 3 more full days until we depart Kazakhstan. This has been a journey of a lifetime and finding Joshua Roman has been the gift of a lifetime. Accommodations in Almaty have been a welcome surprise – our apartment is very modern and comfortable, our driver Emil speaks wonderful English and he is our interpreter as well here in Almaty. We are reminded of some sections of NYC (Greenwich Village areas) while driving around – outdoor cafes, mature trees and small parks here and there. Yesterday we took Joshua out to lunch to a recommended restaurant, Venezia, and satisfied our craving for fresh pizza – lunch was delicious. Although we ate somewhat quickly because we were pushing Joshua’s afternoon naptime we enjoyed a beautiful spring Saturday pushing Joshua in a stroller along tree-lined, shade covered avenues with the vendors selling their goods and many people bustling about. The temps pushed 80 degrees and the weather made us homesick – we’re ready to come home.

Today we will drive into the mountains which surround this gorgeous city to get a glimpse of the vista from the overlooks. It’s a bit overcast and cooler today but we’re afraid tomorrow may be raining so we want to get this excursion in before Tuesday since we will be busy with the Embassy and final packing for our 2:40AM departure (YES – that’s 2:40 in the morning) from Almaty on May 9th. Emil says the drive to the mountains is only about ½ hour each way so we make the roundtrip with stops in less than 2 hours – just about right for Joshua.

We will be home soon.

Almaty in the spring time

What a beautiful city and what a beautiful child. We made it to Almaty, Kazakhstan and everyone is terrific. Joshua was such a good boy today. He did great on the flight (Mama planned very well) and even napped. The upgrade to business class was worth its weight in gold. Joshua is sleeping now after missing two naps this afternoon. We arrived and had to get photos taken for the embassy, take care of some business at adoption HQ, then Joshua had his vital stats taken, a blood sample and a medical check up from the head doc. He passed with flying colors. Everyone at the doctor's office was impressed with his demeanor and patience especially with so little rest and all of the travel today. Amy and I are truly blessed.

Our team in Uralsk accompanied us to the airport this morning and waited until the last minute for us to go through security. It was an emotional goodbye and we will never forget our friends from Uralsk, Kazakhstan - they touched our lives and provided us with professional and emotional support throughout.

We will post again tomorrow morning our time (I know, I know - you've heard that before) and I will close for tonight 'cause we're chillin'. By the way it is one hour later in Almaty.

Good night and god bless. Da zaftra.

Quick Post

Above: Aliya, Ol'ga (our interpreter), Papa, Mama & Ol'ga the facilitator

May 3, 2007

Just a quick post while Joshua takes his mid-day nap (11:15am to about 1:30pm) and Amy gets in a shower. Amy will be going out this afternoon with Ol’ga and Vladimir to pick up a few baby supplies and get some much needed time outside. Once again it is a beautiful day here but still a bit cool so Joshua will be staying inside with Papa.

Following is an important announcement: There has been an error in tallying the submissions in the “ID the tree” game due to mental exhaustion and oversight by the judges. It should be noted and otherwise significantly recognized that Eileen Kuehn, Amy’s sister, had correctly identified the tree to be “some kind of Poplar”. The correct answer has been accepted and the decision has been made to award a tie score to Mark D and Eileen K. The prize winners will receive the chance to baby sit whenever they wish without objection. Actually, Eileen has already agreed to baby sit as soon as we return home ‘cause we’re gonna’ be pooped. Thank you Eileen for this selfless act of kindness and now we can’t wait for all of Joshua’s family to get their mitts on him.

Counting down

Last week we felt that these past few days would never arrive – now we are planning our departure to leave Uralsk for Almaty the morning of Friday, May 4th. Provided everything goes according to plan in Almaty, we are 3 days ahead of schedule. It has been raining for the past day and a half and only this afternoon did the sun finally come out and the pastel blue Kazakhstan sky was seen behind the fir and weeping spruce trees outside our living room window. By the way, speaking of trees, after receiving the voluminous viewer mail (received 2 - thanks for playing Mark D & Linda) for the “ID the tree” game we have a winner. Mark Dougherty, Purchasing Mgr for Chapel Valley Landscape Co. (MD Region) has correctly identified the tree to be a poplar. Mark specifically notes it to be a “Lombardy” Poplar. The jury is still out on the exact cultivar but since you’re the expert Mark, we’re throwin’ you a bone (sorry Linda but Mark is a plant junkie). This afternoon I walked to the market while Joshua napped and Amy listened to Joshua nap. The weather has turned out to be gorgeous and mild and the 10 minute walk to the store for our final grocery shopping was a pleasant stroll to see the center square of the city and the bustle of the locals milling about and racing along the streets in their cars.

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, last night was a rough one. Joshua couldn’t seem to get comfortable enough to stay down for the count and Amy was up, rocking him during the early hours of the morning. He wasn’t shy about airing out his lungs, and we learned this boy can cry! He has a cold and congestion with a slight fever contributing to his discomfort. This is being treated and we hope he is able to sleep through the night tonight. We also believe he’s still having a hard time adjusting to life out of the baby house, particularly not sleeping with 8 other children. He works hard to comfort himself during the night – sucking his fingers, rolling around the crib, and “burrowing” into his blankey (from Oma).

During the day we all spent a wonderful time together and you would not know it to play with him that Joshua is feeling poorly. He continues to eat well so at least his appetite and “cycle” are in working order. Ol’ga the interpreter stopped by today with her 8-year-old daughter Irena and dropped off some congestion meds for Joshua. It was raining and found out once they arrived they had walked the whole way from their apartment which is close to a mile. This is the normal way and to her it did not matter. They get around via bus, their car or walking – whatever it takes. Joshua did not care for the nose drops but we were able to administer with no lingering effects of resentment. He is feeling a little better already and we hope that by tomorrow the congestion will clear.

After nearly a month of carbs, chicken and rice, spaghetti or egg salad, Amy and I had a craving: pizza. We ate frozen Russian pizza tonight – it wasn’t exactly what we had craved but it did taste good. I said to Amy tonight the first thing I’m making when we get home is fresh salsa and guacamole (with some good chips!). Calories be damned.

We also received back from Olga a journal in which we had asked the caregivers to share their thoughts and wishes for Joshua in his new life. It was a collective project written by one, but from all 8 caregivers, in Russian. Olga was kind enough to translate into English for us and typed it out. It is filled with loving and caring sentiments, to both of us and to Joshua. We will treasure it always, and read it to Joshua for the first time today. He has made a lasting mark on the hearts of these sweet women, and we will tell him all about them, and read it to him often.

Joshua is down for now and hopefully for the night. Amy is planning our packing list and trying to make sure we will have the necessary stuff for the 3.5 hour flight to Almaty. We are modifying his schedule a bit, and will try a bottle on the plane to help his ears, along with his regularly scheduled cereal. This should be a good test run and we hope Joshua finds the trip on the airplane as fascinating as he found the trip in the car.

We will have a busy day in Almaty on Friday, where Joshua has to get some routine tests at the US Embassy medical center, and we will meet the agency head, and get to our apartment (we don’t know the exact order yet – but expect we’ll hear more tomorrow).

No need for explanation

May 1, 2007
(posted May 2, 2007)

First of all, while I have your undivided attention: thank you all dearly for your blog comments and emails. The first thing we do every morning, before Joshua wakes, is plug in the old dial-up connection and check our email and blog. Mail from home will always be one of the most heart-warming feelings we continue to receive from everyone. Every evening we try to post something new to the blog and return emails and even if we haven’t been able to complete a post someone still manages to move us with the most genuine and sincere thoughts from an email or a blog comment. We know you are all with us – thank you. Now on to day 2.

Amy is exhausted after waking 3 times last night to care for Joshua. He wakes up from sleeping and if we are not there, in his face, he does not recognize his new surroundings and becomes scared. Quickly, Amy picks him up to remind him he is safe and with his parents. It is an amazing thing to see his face go from incredible fear to shear delight once he understands he is safe and protected. It is equally amazing to see my wife take such good care of Joshua even when going on such little sleep.

Today is a grey, raw, nasty, rainy and cold day – a perfect day to stay inside and play with our son. And that is exactly what we did. We played. We played, we tickled, we blew “zeeberts” on his belly and celebrated the great event when Joshua gave us a big, fat poopy diaper. We changed his diaper (don’t misunderstand, there have been several diaper changes thus far but to know he’s doin’ number 2 without difficulty is indeed a blessing). The day was again great.

Amy filled Joshua’s belly again successfully with buckwheat, apple sauce, a baby biscuit and cherry juice. He loves to be well fed by Mama and always lets us know with a burp which rivals those heard from truck drivers. After breakfast we turned on the iPod and relaxed to the music of Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven and a well arranged version of “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In” – we all sang along – at least those of us who are able to sing.

Our good neighbors, Janene and Rich of Lansdale, PA, soon to be of Carey, NC were a great help today. They picked up some groceries for us on their stop back from the BH and we introduced them officially to Joshua when they dropped off the groceries. Amy, Dave, Janene & Rich sat on the rug for almost an hour this afternoon as Joshua scooted around on his walker. He did so well with the boys (Rich that is). We all agreed – Joshua Roman is a handsome young man.

Naps were plentiful today and right on cue. I have to stop here and point out that Joshua may be the most adorable little guy I’ve ever known, not only when awake and pulling our noses but when sleeping sideways in the crib with his butt sticking up in the air. After the naps, and playtime, and late afternoon bottle were done, Amy, Dave and Joshua participated in the most gratifying of all bedtime preparations: the bath. Rich & Janene were kind enough to loan us an inflatable baby tub which fits inside the adult tub. We cleaned and washed Joshua while he splashed water and suds all over the bathroom – this was great fun. The evening is winding down know and we attempted to put Joshua down around 7:30pm – this was too early and Joshua let us know. We took an extra half hour of quiet time sitting on the couch while he calmed down and we were able to lay him in his crib by 8:00pm. Amy and I sat in the living room for about 20 minutes with the lights off, the TV off, and heard him toss and let out a few babbles while he drifted off to sleep.

We took this opportunity to eat our dinner and begin catching up on the blog and email. Day number 2 is going pretty good – keep your fingers crossed, and the prayers and comments coming. We feel everyone’s presence and know you are here with us. Good night. (11:30pm)

P.S. It is 6am on the 2nd and it was a rough night for Amy and Joshua (someone didn’t keep their fingers crossed). I needed to get to bed last night and had to wait to post this until this morning. More on all of this later.