Home Sweet Home

I just wanted to post to say that I'm home. It was a LONG trip. I'm completely exhausted and missing Jake. :(

A Quick Hi From Almaty

The weather in Shymkent this morning matched my mood rainy and gloomy. I did cry a little as the plane took off but I know I'll see Jake again soon.

I got to Almaty and had lunch with a couple of other families that are here to pick up their babies and then went shopping at the Tsum store. Yes I bought yet another yurt. Jake is going to have quite the collection. :)

Unfortunately the rain followed me to Almaty this evening. I walked out of the hotel to go to Coffeedelia (where I am now) and had to go back for my umbrella. I'm going to go back to the hotel to try to sleep for a little while since I know I have a hard time sleeping on planes. Tomorrow is going to be a LONG day.

Last Day with Jacob (sniff)

Today was my last visit with Jake at the baby house. Tomorrow morning I leave for Almaty and when I come back to get him in 4-6 weeks my coordinator will fly him to Almaty to meet me so I won’t be back to Shymkent. It was a bittersweet visit because while we had fun I knew it would be a while before I would be able to see him again.

We were back in the gym today so there was a lot to see and do (and a constant flow of people walking through). Jake likes to look at everyone when they walk by. He was also more interested in playing with the equipment today. We tried the swing again and I think he liked it a little better but he still didn’t love it. He really liked being in the walker. He didn’t walk anywhere but he liked playing with the hanging toys. We had some visitors for a little while – a little boy and girl. The boy was very interested in Jake’s photo album and came over to us but the little girl was a bit shy and hung back. The caregiver asked me to watch them for a few minutes and the little boy played “bang our cups” with Jake and I.

I gave him lots of kisses when they came to get him. I’m not sure if he could tell something was different. I held back the tears so he wouldn’t see. I left him with his photo album of pictures of us. I hope that he will remember me. I know I’ll be thinking of him every minute of every day until we are together again.

Last Sunday in Shymkent

I took it easy today. I got up late and then met Julie for lunch at where else – Mozzarella. LOL. We’ve been dying to try the fruit pizza which was different but also good. After lunch we went to the grocery store and then the Mega. We’ve noticed that the Mega has a balcony on the top floor so we wanted to check that out. Now I’m just trying to get myself organized to start packing. Tomorrow is my last day to see Jake. It’s going to be really hard to leave him.

Fruit pizza (yes Mom I picked off the grapefruit :)):


Views from the Mega balcony. You can just make out the mountains.

More Souvenirs and Russian Food

Today was pretty low key. Julie had ordered some dresses so we went to pick them up and of course we ended up buying more stuff. I think the ladies at the national souvenir story just love to see us coming. LOL. After our shopping spree our coordinator took us for lunch at a Russian cafe. We each had a different kind of soup (mine was a borsht with cabbage, potatoes and meat) and pancakes - one filled with meat and one filled with mushrooms. Everything was really good.

This is what our coordinator had.

Julie had the one with dumplings.

This is what I had.

We were so excited to get the pancakes that we forgot to take a picture before we started eating so you only get to see the last little bit. :)

Happy Birthday Jack!

Today is my nephew Jack's birthday and Jake and I wanted to send him our special birthday wishes. Happy Birthday Jack!

Love,
Auntie Abby and Jake







P.S. Sorry about the banging during the video, they are renovating the apartment across the hall.

Final Friday in Shymkent

There was a meeting this morning in the music room so we got to play in a new room – they gym. This room had some mats, swings and other equipment in it. Jake enjoyed crawling on the mat but did not like the swing at all. He wanted off that thing as soon as possible. Poor little thing was wearing pants with feet that were way too big for him. He would want me to help him up to walk but the pants were so long he would get all tangled up.

Today we played with Julie and her girls. We started off by sitting down to take a group picture. Jake and the little sister wouldn’t look at the camera, they just stared at each other. It was very cute.

All the kids enjoyed playing with each other’s toys. For the most part they all played nicely together. There were definitely some territorial looks and my normally good little boy ended up hitting the big sister which was not so nice. Fortunately she was a good sport and did not hit him back. Mommy needs to teach Jake that (1) we do not hit girls and (2) it’s probably not a good idea to pick on someone bigger than you. LOL. That earned him a trip off the toy blanket and into Mommy’s lap.

I was holding Jake up on my lap trying to get him to talk and he just looked at me and shook his little head as if to say no no no. It was so cute. I’m not sure whether or not he really meant no but I thought it was funny so I looked at him and nodded my head and said yes yes yes. He looked back at me and shook his head again.









Edited to add: I have been so lucky so far on this trip. I've had no major problems. I've had electricity, water, and internet. Unfortunately my luck just ran out - the power went out about 50 minutes ago. The good news is my internet still works. The bad news is my sad little laptop battery only has 35 minutes left. Ugh!

Me again. I'm happy to report that the power is back on! Woo Hoo. Now I won't have to sit alone in the dark all night. :)

Court Date

Introducing Jacob Fyodor Kelman
(Fyodor is the Russian version of Theodore)
Born December 3, 2008

Court was scheduled for 11:00 am. We started a little late and I was really nervous. I gave a little speech and the judge and prosecutor asked me some questions and a half hour later we were done. Everything won't be completely official until after the 15 day waiting period but essentially I am now Jake's mommy. :)

Julie and I went to Mozzarella for lunch to celebrate. We've been there so many times that they know us there. They don't even need to ask us for a drink choices - they just already know. Afterwards we headed over to the Mega to pick up a few things from the Ramstore. I almost caused an international incident in the bank because these guys tried to cut in front of us in line. Fortunately for them they backed off. I don't care what country you're in, I don't like people who cut in line!

Beautiful Day in Shymkent

It was a beautiful day here in Kazakhstan – not too hot. Since it was cooler they had us stay inside. Jake and I had a great time playing. He was in a really good mood and was laughing and smiling a lot. I wish we could have captured it all on camera but it seems like as soon as we try he stops smiling. No matter, I'll remember it.

I had forgotten that I had brought a blow up beach ball so I finally tried that out this morning. It was a big hit. Have I mentioned that this kid has not met a toy he doesn’t like?

Jake did really well today pushing the buttons on the toy camera. He was determined to make it work. We also had a visitor from the Ministry of Education come to watch our bonding time. He absolutely loved her. We played go to Ministry lady, then to Mama, then to Ministry lady, etc. He was laughing and having a great time with that game. We also played grab Mama’s face – he likes to hold onto my lips when I talk.

Jake is such a super sweet baby you just want to hug him and kiss him all the time. I can’t wait to have him home for good.

After bonding time we hung out at Julie’s again and finished our Burn Notice season 1 marathon. We took a break to go out to lunch with our coordinator to a Korean restaurant for lunch. It was my first time trying Korean food. I was worried that it was all going to be really spicy hot but it was more spicy flavorful than hot. I never would have thought that I would like fried tofu but it was good.

Looks like we’re on for court tomorrow morning. I hope it goes well. I’m starting to get nervous. Wish me luck!

Back Outside

I thought for sure we would be back in the music room today since Julie’s kids weren’t feeling great yesterday but they let us play outside today which was really nice because it was cooler this morning. We played with our usual toys (he’s really digging the train and the toy camera I bought him at the mega) but I broke out the bubbles today as something new. At first he didn’t know what to make of them but then because it was something that mommy was holding Jake had to hold it too. I gave him the bubble wand but of course he wanted the container of bubbles too. I hadn’t put that much bubble liquid in the special dispenser so I just hoped he wouldn’t spill it all over himself. Fortunately I lucked out.

For the first two weeks that I was visiting they didn’t make me wear a mask but for the last week or so they’ve asked us to wear them. I think it freaks Jake out a little bit. I remember when my niece (who is now 17) and nephew (who is now 14) were little if I put on my glasses they didn’t recognize me (I normally wear contact lenses). I wonder if wearing the mask is the same for him. I did let him see me without the mask a little bit today and I think it helped.

Jake was so busy playing today that he didn’t want to pose for any pictures. I got a couple of cute ones of him in action.





After bonding I hung out with Julie. We went back to Mozzarella for lunch again (what can I say we really like that place) where we ordered completely new items yet again. After lunch we went back to Julie’s apartment to have a Burn Notice marathon and eat Kazak ice cream (thanks again Julie for my ice cream bar!).

Still no news on my court date. The judge was out today but he should be back tomorrow. There is a chance I could have court tomorrow afternoon or it could be Thursday.

Happy Monday

It’s Monday so you know what that means – I got to see my little Jake. We ended up back inside in the music room because Julie’s kids weren’t feeling too well. I think there must be something going around the baby house. They’ve got what Jake had last week.

Jake and I had fun playing with his toys. Today he figured out how to spin the barrel in the train I bought him last week and he tried to push the buttons on the toy camera. We played bang the chairs on the little kids chairs and Jake figured out how to stand up all by himself! No assist from Mama (well other than words of encouragement). I was so excited for him.

As usual the hour was too short. I can’t wait to get him home so I have him all the time. Still no word on the court date yet. Hopefully I will know something by tomorrow.

Here are a few new Jake pics and some video of him having a good time today.







Jake also had a special message for his cousin Erin who is leaving for college in a couple of days.

Sunday Again in Shymkent

I actually got to sleep in today. It was the first Sunday that I’ve been here where my neighbor didn’t have an early morning visitor who rang my doorbell (which I still think sounds more like a carbon monoxide alarm although Julie seems to think it sounds like birds).

I met Julie for lunch and we decided to try Mozzarella again – we figured they’d probably have their power back by now. Ruth, I actually got something other than pasta or pizza. Are you proud of me? I tried the veal medallions with mushroom sauce and french fries.

After lunch we headed over to the mall across from the Mega to check out the souvenir shops. Julie and I are on a mission to buy every yurt in town. Then we made our daily trip to the Mega and then finally back home.

Here are some pictures of the places we’ve been:

Mozzarella (I think it’s the most upscale restaurant we’ve seen)

The mall across from the Mega


And of course the Mega


I also found a little bit of home here in Shymkent – a flower box that had Black-Eyed Susans – the Maryland state flower.

Back to the Bazaar

Our coordinator took Julie and me to the bazaar this morning. It was much hotter than when I had previously gone and there were a lot more people. It was still overwhelming. We were very sad to find that the really nice old lady who hand made scarves wasn’t there. We walked around for a little while but then couldn’t take it anymore. We left and then did a few errands before we had lunch at the plov place again. It was just as good as last time. Then on the way back into town we stopped at a place that said national souvenirs (yes it was in English) and Julie and I went on a mad shopping spree – there were plenty of holes left in their display case after we left! We both decided that we were tired so we each went home to take it easy this afternoon. One day down, one more to go until I get to see Jake again.

Movie night continues tonight with another one of my favorites - Galaxy Quest.

Guess who was feeling better today?

Jake was much better than yesterday but still not 100%. He still sounds stuffy and there was a little bit of coughing but no runny nose and no fever. We took it easy and played with our toys for a while. Jake seemed to like his new toy camera but was a bit frustrated that he couldn’t push the button down by himself. He also liked the new train that had the popping balls when you roll it. Jake was fascinated by the garbage truck that came to empty the dumpsters so we walked down closer so he could watch. He was pretty tired by the end of our time and wanted to be held and walked around. Hopefully he’ll kick this cold over the weekend and be ready to go on Monday.

Still waiting to hear about my court date. I’m hoping to hear something on Monday.









Friday Late Day Update

After our bonding time I hung out with Julie, the other adoptive mom. We walked over to Mozzarella to have lunch but their power was out. This seems to be a common thing here in Shymkent as Julie’s power was out for a couple of hours earlier this week (our coordinator had the same problem too). We wondered if they had rolling brown outs similar to what sometimes happens in California. Although they told us at the restaurant that the power would be back on in 10-15 minutes we didn’t want to chance it so we walked over to the Mega to eat. We ended up at the pizza place at the food court. We ordered based on the pictures what we thought was a pepperoni and sausage pizza but ended up with a tomato and cheese pizza. LOL. We figured that what we thought was pepperoni was really tomato slices but for the life of me I can’t figure out what the sausage looking things were supposed to be. We made our daily trip to the Ramstore to pick up a few items including the all important Doritos and then headed back to Julie’s apartment to watch the world music video channel. I can’t remember the last time I’ve watched music videos at home but I watch them all the time here mostly because if you want to hear any English it’s the word music video channel or CNN. Luckily I’ve also got a DVD player so I’ve been watching the DVDs I brought. So far I’ve seen the first season of Psych, the first season and part of the second season of How I Met Your Mother and the first season of Chuck. Tonight I decided to have a movie night and I watched one of my all time favorite movies – Strictly Ballroom.

I Had a Bad Day

Just like the song today I had a bad day. Poor Jake is still sick and had a fever. I didn’t think they were going to let me see him at all (I almost cried) but I got 5 minutes with him right before we left the baby house. He didn’t even really have the energy to hold one of his favorite toys – he only held the crab for a few seconds. I held him and walked around and he just laid his little head on my shoulder. I hope he’s better tomorrow because I’ll be really upset if I don’t get to see him since I don’t get to visit on Saturday or Sunday. :(

Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day!





Edited to add a few pictures from my friend Julie:





Edited to add: so yeah there was more to the bad day than Jake being sick but I didn't want to be a total bummer so I left that part out of my post but you're getting it now that I'm not feeling sorry for myself anymore. When you only get 5 minutes with your kid (while legally he is not officially mine yet, in my heart he is) it's hard not to feel sorry for yourself and then the rest of the day just all goes down hill. After bonding we went to Mozzarella for lunch because Julie had not been there before (and because Ruth and I liked it so much). I ordered my usual plain pizza. A few minutes later our waitress comes back to explain that there is a problem but of course she speaks only Russian and I learned some Russian but only the basics. What I think happened is that she put the wrong order in on the computer and so now instead of getting a plain cheese pizza (which is what I've ordered the 3 other times I've been there) I'm now getting a pizza with meat. So I say ok. I figure I can deal with it or at the very least pick it off if I don't like it. What the description doesn't say is that it's not just meat, it's meat and red peppers (which unfortunately make me feel sick). So I did my best to pick them off and ate what I could but it was kind of less than satisfying. Some days you just can't win so I figured I would just go back to my apartment and hope that the next day would be better (which by the way it was).

Fun In The Sun

We spent our time today outside. It was a really beautiful morning and Jake seemed to like being outside. I’m really liking this switch to the morning time especially since they seem to give us more time. When I had him in the afternoon I was lucky if I got an hour (one day I only got 30 minutes) but so far in the mornings I’ve been getting an hour and 10 minutes. I hope this continues – I’ll take as much time as I can get.

Jake is very curious about everything so of course he wanted to crawl off the blanket into the dirt. Nervous mommy didn’t want him getting all dirty or putting it in his mouth. We had most of our toys out of the bag and wouldn’t you know it he wanted to play with the zip lock bag too. Sorry buddy not going to happen – plastic bags are not toys. I put his little sunglasses on him which he didn’t like so they were off in about 5 seconds. I tried to put him on the swing but he didn’t like that either. I’m sure he will when he’s older. He was incredibly chatty today. I was so happy to hear my little boy talking!

Even though we had a great time the poor little thing is still sick. I thought he seemed a bit worse today. His little nose was runny and now he has a cough. He was pretty tired out by the end of our time. He wanted to be held and I could see him yawning.

This afternoon I signed some documents for court and I turned in my pictures for court the other day so things are moving along. I’m not sure yet when I’ll get to court but hopefully I’ll find out soon.

Unfortunately we were having so much fun playing I didn’t really get a lot of pictures but I did get a few cute ones and Julie managed to get one of the two of us playing. I also lucked out and got some great video of him talking. Check out the completely new outfit!

New Time, New People

Today we had bonding at a new time – in the morning instead of the afternoon. I was hoping it would be cooler in the room because it was earlier in the day. Umm, not so much although it was much cooler outside. I had thought we would be playing outside today but because we had a huge rainstorm last night and everything was wet (and because it was cooler) they wanted us inside instead.

We also had company. We shared the room with the other adoptive family. This meant there were new people for Jake to look at and someone else’s toys to want. This kid LOVES toys. Any toys. I think he played with just about every toy in my bag today – the stacking cups, his crab rattle, his toy cell phone, the pictures, the soft books, his ball and the wiggle worm. We even played bang on the chairs. Jake also needed some mommy time and wanted me to hold him which is always ok with me. We got a little extra time today which was great.

Here he is in the exact same outfit as yesterday although he did have on pink socks today instead of red ones! LOL. Either way they were off his feet in probably less than 10 minutes (he likes his toes to fly free).

Jake checking out our neighbors especially their toys!


Jake playing with his cell phone but checking out our neighbors' toys.


Jake playing with his wiggle worm.


Mommy time!