Happy Valentine’s Day!
We have had a really full couple of days to say the least. It is about 8:30pm on Wednesday as I write this.
We arrived in Almaty at about 1:30am on Tuesday as scheduled. Let me back up, we met up with our travel partner Nicki and her mom in Frankfurt – it was great to see them. The driver was there to meet us in Almaty and said we would go to a hotel for a few hours since we would need to be back at the airport at 6:30am! By the time we got to the hotel and scrubbed our teeth, it was 2:45am – so a quick cat nap later, we were up and off to Karaganda.
Anna, our interpreter and the driver met us at the airport and we went directly to the baby house. We were exhausted, but out of our minds to see our girl! When we arrived, she (along with all of the babies) were sitting on the pot. She did not recognize us right away. She had sort of a blank lifeless stare on her face – it really broke my heart. After about 5 –10 minutes of us talking to her and getting her favorite toy from my bag, it was as if someone turned the light bulb on! Now this is the happy, smiling Katie I know! We had a quick visit then left for lunch. We went back for a second visit in the afternoon 2-4pm.
We spent the night in a nice hotel very near the baby house. There was just one small hiccup in the morning, however. After a night of tossing and turning because of my excitement for the next day, I woke up and went straight to the electric kettle to boil some water for my coffee single. Well, I finally got it to work, but decided it would be smart to boil the water one more time to ensure all Ebola, e-coli and SARS virus were killed. I hit the button on the kettle and – BAM – all of the lights went out. I had to wake Dave up and he found a lady working in the lobby (oh yeah, no one spoke a word of English) and had to motion to her about what had happened. Apparently, it was a common occurrence since she quickly had a workman reset the fuse and we were back in business!
We had a quick breakfast (very odd combination, but I won’t get into that now) and we were off to the baby house. Katie was fed and ready to go. We changed her clothes quickly and strapped her into the snowsuit. Poor thing, the arms were about three times too long for her. We said our good-byes to the care givers and went straight to the airport. Anna stayed with us until we got through security. I am learning to not have long emotional good-byes and this could have turned into one. I really pray that she can visit us this summer when she comes to the US. The flight was…well, let’s just say it could have been better. A little crying (by Katie on the outside, by me on the inside) but not too bad. I knew that flight was going to be the hardest part of our trip and I am glad it is behind us.
We have had a really full couple of days to say the least. It is about 8:30pm on Wednesday as I write this.
We arrived in Almaty at about 1:30am on Tuesday as scheduled. Let me back up, we met up with our travel partner Nicki and her mom in Frankfurt – it was great to see them. The driver was there to meet us in Almaty and said we would go to a hotel for a few hours since we would need to be back at the airport at 6:30am! By the time we got to the hotel and scrubbed our teeth, it was 2:45am – so a quick cat nap later, we were up and off to Karaganda.
Anna, our interpreter and the driver met us at the airport and we went directly to the baby house. We were exhausted, but out of our minds to see our girl! When we arrived, she (along with all of the babies) were sitting on the pot. She did not recognize us right away. She had sort of a blank lifeless stare on her face – it really broke my heart. After about 5 –10 minutes of us talking to her and getting her favorite toy from my bag, it was as if someone turned the light bulb on! Now this is the happy, smiling Katie I know! We had a quick visit then left for lunch. We went back for a second visit in the afternoon 2-4pm.
We spent the night in a nice hotel very near the baby house. There was just one small hiccup in the morning, however. After a night of tossing and turning because of my excitement for the next day, I woke up and went straight to the electric kettle to boil some water for my coffee single. Well, I finally got it to work, but decided it would be smart to boil the water one more time to ensure all Ebola, e-coli and SARS virus were killed. I hit the button on the kettle and – BAM – all of the lights went out. I had to wake Dave up and he found a lady working in the lobby (oh yeah, no one spoke a word of English) and had to motion to her about what had happened. Apparently, it was a common occurrence since she quickly had a workman reset the fuse and we were back in business!
We had a quick breakfast (very odd combination, but I won’t get into that now) and we were off to the baby house. Katie was fed and ready to go. We changed her clothes quickly and strapped her into the snowsuit. Poor thing, the arms were about three times too long for her. We said our good-byes to the care givers and went straight to the airport. Anna stayed with us until we got through security. I am learning to not have long emotional good-byes and this could have turned into one. I really pray that she can visit us this summer when she comes to the US. The flight was…well, let’s just say it could have been better. A little crying (by Katie on the outside, by me on the inside) but not too bad. I knew that flight was going to be the hardest part of our trip and I am glad it is behind us.
We landed back in Almaty at about 2:30pm. Drivers met us again. We went straight to get a passport photo of Katie, then to the agency’s office. I signed some paperwork and Dave fed poor starving Katie (she had squash and bananas, mmmm). Then we made a quick stop at the grocery, then were off to get Katie’s medical exam. All went well, though they said she is a little small for her age. Nothing that won’t be fixed by a new American diet! There is a new requirement to have a HIV test, so they pricked her finger and got a little blood. The test results will be done late on Thursday. We have somewhat of a free day tomorrow. We will go to Lufthansa in the morning to buy Katie’s plane ticket. On Friday, we will go to the US Embassy at around 2:30pm to get Katie’s passport. We will go to the airport that night around 11:45pm.
So, let’s just say I am exhausted now – Dave too. It has been a great, but stressful day. Partly because Dave and I are not entirely sure what we are doing. I bought Katie’s formula then quickly realized that the instructions are in Russian. So I just mixed it with some water, but I am not even sure what it is supposed to look like! She drank it, so I guess it worked. Katie is now sleeping in her crib, and I am not far behind her.
I will try to write again at least one more time before we leave for the US.
Love,
Kelley
