We got back early today so I took a long walk through the city. Here is a picture of my hotel, it is the tallest building in Almaty, it makes a good landmark if you happen to loose your way.

On the way to the baby house we spend time on a road that would take us all the way to China if we kept going. The road is flanked by these mountains, the Zaiilisky Alatau (I believe that is the correct name) mountains. This mountain range runs form Kazakhstan to China and on the other side of the mountains is Kyrgyrstan.

This is the view from my hotel room, these are the same mountains at sunrise.

Baby House Day 2

Not long after I posted last night, I received a phone call, today's schedule had changed. We had to go to the baby house today after lunch and nap time so I didn't get to feed baby boy (BB) today, I think I'll have that opportunity tomorrow because we're going in the morning.

Today's visit went very well, I gave BB a toy, he immediately picked one of the pieces up, had a really good grip on it and tried to put it into his mouth. That's pretty much where it stayed the entire time. He's got two bottom teeth in already and two top teeth coming in so after my visit today I went and got him a teething ring. I'll see tomorrow if he still wants the toy or the teething ring.

On Thursday the doctor is coming from the SOS clinic. These are doctors who are trained in Western medicine and understand the Kazakh diagnosis. He will review BB’s medical records, discuss them with the baby house doctor, let me know what he finds in them then do a full evaluation and discuss everything with me. I will have plenty of opportunity to talk to the doctor because we will be picking him up and driving him back to the clinic. At least my fee includes a house call, ha ha ha. I spoke to an International Adoption doctor at home and read a lot about what to look for when you meet your child. Right now BB is showing a lot of signs that he is a very healthy little boy. He makes great eye-contact, he smiles and laughs, he can pick up a toy and hold onto it tightly, he responds to his name, and he gets very excited and happy when he sees his caregivers. I’ll see what the doctor says on Thursday, hopefully all is well.

This morning I went for a walk and made a couple of observations, one is that Kazakh people have an innate ability to walk on ice. There can be anywhere from a sheet to a couple of inches of ice on many of the sidewalks here in the city. They walk along as if the ground is dry, today I saw a man in dress shoes running on the ice, show-off!! When I mentioned it to my translator, Asiya, she was surprised that I even observed it, they just do it. Let’s hope I learn to do it before I take a fall, so far so good! Another observation is that most cars are driven by men; I saw only a handful of women driving. Asiya told me that in the younger generation more women are driving but in the older generation women just don’t drive as much as men. Last observation for the day, a large part of the population here smokes, they smoke a lot and they smoke everywhere. It is not uncommon to see someone with a cigarette in one hand and a fork in the other. Asiya was very surprised when I told her that we are not allowed to smoke in public places but she liked the idea.

I’m going to end this now; I’m hoping that I finally get some sleep tonight. Talk to you all tomorrow. Chris

Two Down, Ten To Go

As you can tell, I arrived safely in Kazakhstan, the flights were good with no problems and my luggage arrived with me so it’s all good. While I was on the first flight I realized that I will be making twelve very long flights to complete this process, then on the second flight I realized that two were down already and I only have ten more to go, what’s better than that? Don’t answer that! One more comment about the flights then I’ll tell you what you really want to know, on the first flight I watched a beautiful sunrise then only a few short hours later I watched an incredible sunset, the colors were so vivid on both, I coulden't stop watching them. What an experience in just a few short hours to see the sun rise and set like that, it was amazing!

After a very short night’s sleep, I was picked up at the hotel and started a day that will change my life forever. This morning after two interviews, one at the Ministry Of Education and one at the Baby House in Issyk, I was approved to go forward, I went through the required processes and then I met my son. He’s a happy little boy, he was smiling and laughing at me while I was playing with him. I was only able to see him for a short time today, we were running right up into nap time. They asked me if I wanted to visit at a time when I can feed him, of course I do, so I think my visits will be scheduled early in the day. They also told me he loves to eat, that he gets excited when the meals are being prepared and he hears the silver-ware, Gary does he remind you of anyone???

As most of you know I can’t post any pictures or any information about him until this is final, so you’ll have to just listen to me.

That’s it for now, I going to try to get some sleep tonight. Keep those comments and e-mails coming, I look forward to them. Take care, Chris

Last Post Before I Fly

My visa arrived yesterday along with eight inches of snow... but my flight is still scheduled to leave on time tonight, thant's the good news. Now if only I had heat. I woke up this morning with no heat, five hours later and I'm still waiting for the service guy to show up. I'm just having too much fun right now. I'll post again when I can.

I Received My LOI!!!

Today I received my LOI - Letter of Invitation to travel to Kazakhstan. I will be leaving next weekend, 2/23 or 2/24 for Almaty Kazakhstan. I have to be in Almaty on the morning of the 25th. I will be going to Issyk once I arrive in Kazakhstan and I will be there until March 13th. Issyk requires three trips, the first trip is about twenty days, then I come home and wait for my court date, once I get that I go back for two to three days. Then I come home once again and wait for the final processing to be completed, when I go back it is for three or four days, then we come home as a family. My heart is racing, I'm very excited and I can't believe how much I have to do before I go, but it's all good!