It was 20 years ago today...

Well, maybe not 20 years. More like one year. It was one year ago today that our lives changed irrevocably - when we first met our Small Person Wolfe (SPW), Nicholas James.

What a difference a year makes:

March 16, 2007

March 16, 2008

This year has been interesting, challenging and rewarding beyond measure. We have learned (and sometimes struggled) to become parents. He has learned to walk, run, talk (sort of), climb up and down stairs, come down slides, sit quietly to read a book or watch a little Sesame Street, feed himself (first with a spoon, then with a fork), run races with his friends, and to give the best hugs on the planet...oh, so many things. The latest is the acquisition and use of the word "NO" generally in it's proper context. Fortunately, he can still be cajoled around it. Soon the day will come when that won't be quite so easy!

Here are a few additional recent pictures (and just a note - his secondary molars are coming in - hence the drool and damp shirt!):

Boy in Action:















Show mommy how strong you are:Um - well if you really want to wear mommy's boots (but maybe it's time to move out of this neighborhood!).

The Second Half of the Year

Updates? Is that what you’re here for? I’ve been hearing the little voice in my head ask for them too, so I’ll try and bring us up to the end of the year – 5 months in one entry!

So starting in August: Nicholas got to spend time with both sets of grandparents – on subsequent weekends. Auntie Pat came with us to Madison to see Grandma & Grandpa D. We toured the barn, walked (stomped?) across the back yard with Grandma, and then proceeded to tell Grandpa how to cook dinner!

The following weekend, we went to the Avon area to visit with Grandma & Grandpa W. Lots of investigating in the yard, checking out water glasses, and then we went on a long walk, without camera :( , around a pond.

We then visited to friends who have a yard, a kiddie pool, and a sprinkler. Good thing, since it was the hottest day of the summer! Thanks Michelle and John!

And we rounded out the month with a visit from Aunt Florence, who was in town helping cousin Elizabeth move to her new apartment.

In September, I went back to work 3 days a week, and Nicholas began to spend those days with another little boy his age, and to share his nanny. That has worked out very well – both boys play well together, and the nanny is a terrific source of suggestions and information. Adjusting to this made for a fairly quiet month, but we did find time to help on clean-up day at our favorite playground, get in a trip to the zoo, and start figuring out what sports we like!

October was all about red – the boots from cousin Eileen’s Paddington Bear, which actually fit on little boys, and the Red Sox – that fabulous home-town team.

November was an adventure. We took Nicholas to Florida to visit Grandma & Grandpa W, and for his first plane ride since the odyssey home in May. He handled it very well, except when he couldn’t understand why he could get up and walk at some times, and not at others. While there, he learned to play “monster” with Grandpa and Grandma gave him a few piano lessons.

Then we introduced him to the pleasures of the beach. At first, the sounds and movement of the ocean really frightened him (especially when that giant bathtub swallowed his Daddy), but we found a tidal pool on an inlet – much more his cup of tea.

And we also got to spend time with his girlfriend from Delphin House, Morgan, who now lives in Miami. We had a fun day catching up with her and her parents.

And now we’re getting ready for what we hope will be a low-key Christmas. We’re only doing the minimum of decorating. We won’t have a tree in our house, as new things are still to be approached with extreme caution, but we will decorate, and will spend Christmas day at Aunt Pat’s, with most of my sided of the family…more updates on that later.

For now, here’s the Holiday Picture of the boy:

Life in the Fast Lane

So what’s been up in Boston? Well, we have a little man who loves to climb stairs. This is good from our perspective for a number of reasons:

1. it shows he’s developing nicely
2. it means he’s becoming a bit more independent
3. we live in a 2-story condo at the top of a 5 story building. He can climb all the way to the living room (on the 4^th floor). Not all the time, but it’s helpful when lugging groceries!

We had two Independence Days this July. The first was the traditional one (the 4^th). The second was Nicholas’ Independence Day – the day he started walking, which was one day later. Just out of the blue, and with no fanfare, he pushed upright and took off. He’s still a bit wobbly, and looking somewhat like Frankenstein (arms out and walking side to side), but moving none-the-less. His cousin Elizabeth asked if he had started singing “Puttin’ on the Ritz” (Young Frankenstein). Since then, he has transitioned from mostly crawling and sometimes walking to the complete reverse. In fact, I don’t think I saw any crawling today at all. No pix of this, but a few videos, which I unfortunately don’t know how to upload!

We had a little KZ reunion this month as well. G. and D. live in the area, and were glad to welcome Nicholas into their little (exclusive) club. All three boys were born within 28 days of each other, although G. & D. came to the Boston area a bit earlier than Nicholas. They played kind of like puppies in a basket, crawling over each other, “sharing” and retrieving, and occasionally bonking each other on the head (OK, that was mostly Nicholas, but we’re working on it!). The three Moms were glad to get together, share experiences “in-country” and bounce parenting ideas and challenges off each other. We hope to continue this on a fairly regular basis as the boys grow up. It’s amazing how different and yet alike the boys look. Nicholas is very jealous of G’s full head of hair…we have hopes!

Nicholas has been experimenting with self-feeding, with various results. Spoon control is still minimal, but he happily chows down on what he can get his hands on. Here’s the result of some work with cottage cheese, and with the contents of tacos:

Finally, for now, I’ll share with you our latest big fun. Boston has a host of terrific parks and playgrounds, both large and small. We have our favorites, each for a specific reason…some close and small, others farther but better equipped, or with fun dogs, or…but the real biggie is the Boston
Common. At the center is what’s known as the Frog Pond. In the winter, this is an outdoor skating rink. In the summer, it’s a great place for children of all ages to cool off, splash their feet, and wash away the stress of the day. At it’s deepest point it’s no more than a foot deep…which works quite nicely for a little boy in search of a good time. Here are some of the results:

Settling In?

Nicholas has been home for just short of a month, and seems to be settling in quite well. He has had his first birthday, surrounded by family and friends. Not sure of all the customs, but he'll go along with them for spaghetti and cake!





Boy feeding himself Spaghetti

Boy after cake!

Parks and playgrounds have become favorite places. There's a nice one just down the street, sized for little kids. We go there most days.




There's also a bigger playground across town. This is where Nicholas had his first encounter with a sand-box. At first he just didn't know what to do with this stuff. But once he discovered the dump-trucks and shovels, it was all good from there!



He has also settled in food-wise. Although he really doesn't like chicken of almost any kind, and especially doesn't like leftovers, most other things are either accepted or appreciated. The new item this morning (mixed reviews but Mommy enjoyed hers) was Kiwi Fruit. Guess it was a bit too tart.


The sleep schedule is in flux right now. Afternoon naps were disappearing, which wasn't making anyone happy. So, for the second day in a row, we didn't have a morning nap. Afternoon was fine yesterday, a bit bumpy today. Today's afternoon nap turned into two separate mini-naps. Ah, transitions. Here's an early sleep picture...how peaceful is that?


As for growth: He's put on over 2 lbs in a month, and is filling in quite nicely. Since he's over 1 and over 20lbs now, we turned the car seat to face forward. Maybe this will make him like it better? Anyway, here are two favorite pictures - one taken in the hotel in Almaty, and the other taken in our living room. Just a cute boy.

Trot Trot to Boston

Whew! OK, so I've been remiss in keeping up with the blog. Anyone who actually has small children will understand the reality that my time is no longer my own...my life is in the very sweet hands of a little boy who will turn 1 tomorrow.

Sorry - no pix at this point - they're still on the camera, but I promise updates soon.

So how was the trip, you say? Well, I owe my sister Florence a HUGE thanks (yes, I know your birthday is in December!). Without her, I probably would have survived, but not with my sanity! We had an uneventful trip over to Almaty. Long layover in Amsterdam, and we got a room at the Radisson. Yeah - comfy beds and a fully stocked bath. We arrived at around 6am on Sunday the 20th, were met by Eugene, and taken to the hotel. Not the Hotel Kazakhstan, which we had been told was booked for us, but rather to the Hotel Kazzol. Not a pit, but not the Radisson. I think Oleg, Igor and Eugene are part owners, since they send everyone there!

We snoozed for a while, did some paperwork in preparation for the Embassy visit, then went down Gogol street to the market to get some water, baby food and munchies for us. We met Nicholai (our Almaty driver from the first trip) at 5:30pm and went back to the airport to await the arrival of Little Man (and the head nurse from the baby house). After a bit of hesitation, he seemed to recognize me. Not fooling myself that he was fully comfortable right away, but I could really see the value of the required visitation.

The following day was spent getting visa photos (not sure where the originals went, but oh well) and then going to the SOS International Clinic for a final checkup. It took far longer than we had expected, but everyone survived just fine.

On Tuesday morning, we went for a walk down Gogol Street to Panfilov Park. This was once a beautiful, shaded park which has suffered from neglect over the past few years. Great paths, but too much undergrowth and unkempt trees/bushes. There is a beautiful old Russian church, as well as a Soviet Era memorial to the 28 members of a KZ company who held off a whole passel of Germans for a strategic win (something like their Battle of the Bulge?). That afternoon we went to the Embassy and were done in 15 minutes, due largely to the great preparation of our paperwork by the folks at MAPS - our agency. We got to see the results of incomplete paperwork in another family not able to get the visa processed - very painful.

EARLY Wednesday morning (after a sleepless night for me and Florence) we hit the airport for our 7:20 flight to AMS. OK - so I'll never complain about lines in US airports again. At least the personnel know what they're doing! Once on the plane we breathed a huge sigh of relief at being in the care of a western airline (KLM).

OK - just gotta say that Nicholas was a champ for both flights and for the layover in AMS. He didn't have problems on takeoff or landing, and only lost it mildly when he just couldn't get to sleep. Here's one example of where Florence was a life-saver. The overtired new mom (me) was trying vainly to rock the overtired little boy in a seat that doesn't allow for it, with tears simply rolling down my cheeks. F leaned over, patted my knee and said "this is why I'm here" and took Nicholas for a walk in the aisle, allowing both of us to calm down enough to get a nap in.

Arrival in Boston and passing through immigration was a breeze. I was all done before the luggage came up. The three of us got our stuff and went through the door where Jim was waiting. I was so hoping Nicholas would remember him as well. Jim got down on his level (in the stroller), did one of his fake sneezes which had been so popular in Kostanai, and it was all good from there.

That Saturday (of Mem. Day wknd) we went to Auntie Pat's house so Nicholas could be introduced to my side of the family. After sitting in my lap for a few minutes, he decided that being the center of attention was his due, and he moved to the middle of the room to allow all to worship him! As long as either Jim or I were in view, he was perfectly happy to play with others, and he was absolutely fascinated by his Uncle Jim's beard - never having seen one up close.

The past week has been spent trying to get some kind of routine in place, and to figure out his needs and preferences. New fave dinner: spaghetti Least fave dinner: any jarred meat concoction. We're moving almost completely to table food, and his disposition and energy level have been great. Yesterday was a bit tough - for some reason he didn't nap at all, and I was a zombie by 5pm. Right now, though, he's down for the 2nd nap of the day... and I need to follow suit.

Will post pictures and a report on tomorrow's festivities soon.

Updates

We heard from the agency today that they are in possession of a fully completed, stamped and certified court decree approving us as parents to Nicholas James Wolfe...YIPPEEE!!!

What we also heard, unfortunately, is that due to two separate holidays coming up in May, we will not be able to return to do the final check-up and embassy visit until May 18 - a week later than we had hoped. Seems we keep getting caught in the bad timing trap.

Whatever. I've made plane reservations to head out the evening of the 18th, with my sister Florence - a truly wonderful woman who will help keep me going and keep Nicholas fed and clothed! We are scheduled to arrive early on Sunday, May 20th. At some point that day I'll actually get custody of Little Man.

Early Monday morning we'll go to the western medical clinic. All test results should be ready the following morning, enabling us to go to the US Embassy to obtain the all-important Super Secret Sealed Envelope required for entry into the states, which is to take place the following day.

So, if all goes according to the current plan, the three of us will arrive in Boston at rush hour on Wednesday, May 23.

Think positive thoughts!

Country Roads, Take Me Home

Well, it might be planes, rather than country roads, but you get the picture. We leave in an hour for our last visit with Nicholas, then off to the airport. We've been doing some thinking, and wanted to share a few wishes with you:

What we miss and want when we get home:

• Family & Friends
• Fresh vegetables (Mom, did you ever expect me to say that?)
• Colorless, odorless water
• Ice in our drinks, not on our sidewalks
• Lactose free milk
• Cottage cheese
• Having some clue what the people around us are saying
• Stooping (unaccompanied by Babushkas and Dyedushkas)
• NPR & DSL
• The city sound of fire engines
• Starbucks Grande Vanilla Lattes
• Drinks at The Palm, where we can trade Nicholas photos for Phil’s wedding pix.
• The entire skyline of Boston from our roof deck
• Boston Drivers…never thought we’d miss them!
• TV in English – it might be 100 channels of drek, but at least we’ll understand it, and the shows start at regular times, not randomly

What we will miss when we leave here.

(kind of trumps everything else)

It's Official (?)

We had court this morning, and the judge (a formidable woman with what appears to be a good sense of humor) gave us provisional approval as parents to Nicholas. There's some paperwork to be competed in the next 15 days (the standard appeals process), but we are assured it's fairly routine. Forgot to get a picture at court - we're a little fried at this point!


Then off to see the kiddo. Again, we were in the sleeping room and, given temps, layers and stress, all three of us were pretty mellow. Nicholas got his fix of Cheerios and another go at the sippy cup; we got our fix of Nicholas (if not our fill).









We're about to start packing. We leave Kostanai tomorrow afternoon, directly after our last visit with little man. We'll spend a night in a nice hotel in Almaty, then fly home via Amsterdam on Friday. Will give a recap when we're home and human. Love you all.

It's all a matter of Degree(s)

I can't remember if we've covered how temperature plays a role in the lives of people in Kazakhstan. If so, too bad - just look at the pictures!

In general, anything cold is to be avoided.

• Open windows - Nyet
• Single layers of clothing - Nyet
• Fresh air - Nyet
• Drinks kept in the fridge - Nyet (we were out to dinner last night and the waiter asked if it was ok that our Coke and Sprite were cold - um, yes please)
  

We have probably mentioned that the rooms in the baby house tend to be a bit warm. On a number of occasions, they move into the downright hot range. For example, the playroom was at about 80 yesterday, and all the windows were closed, as usual. Cross-ventilation is anathema, and doors are always kept closed on rooms being aired out, to prevent any cold air (or refreshingly cool air?) from give the kids a chill. How this would be possible when the kids are in 2-3 layers at all times, including multiple pairs of socks, is beyond us. So that's your background for our visit today.

We arrived a bit early, as we wanted decent play time before taking Nicholas to get his passport photos taken. As usual, we took off our jackets (light ones, as it's 50 out, and keep that in mind), and headed in to play with the boy. He was wearing two of the outfits we bought for him - at the same time. The first layer (aside from diapers) was a fleecy type of sleeper. Over that he had on his blue and white Bear outfit - also fleecy. Then he had terry socks on - over the footie part of the jammies. It was about 78 degrees in the play room.

We went into the bedroom for our visit, and had a busy but slightyly sleepy boy. He had just finished a huge lunch, so that made sense. But knowing that he would have to be changed into a brighter outfit (for more contrast) for his passport photos, we removed the outer layer. Wow - we had a different boy. First of all, he wasn't like a sausage in casing, so he started really moving. And he wasn't melting, so the sleepiness disappeared.





Have to admit, we did give him some forbidden fruit today...Cheerios. Check out the reaction!






Then it was time to head to the photographers. We got him back into his red and blue track suit that you've all seen, and layerd that with a fleece and fiberfill snowsuit that we bought a few weeks ago. Not a happy camper, but there you go. When we got back into the playroom, our parenting skills were called into question, as we obviously didn't understand how to dress a child for the frigid tundra (um, again, it's 50 out). Off goes the fleece, and on goes the snowsuit rated for a blizzard in mid-winter in Antarctica.


Interestingly, Nicholas didn't have any visible negative reaction to being out in the car, as some kids do. He was definitely nervous, but the combo of being over-heated and the movement of the car sent him to la la land very quickly. Got to the photo place, pix got taken, and we took him back.

One more day down.

A Man on the Move

Today was a very busy day at Dolphin House. We were back in the main room, which was good, since Nicholas was interested in keeping an eye on us, but while doing his own thing. So we were able to help out the care-givers by keeping the other kids occupied.

Jim was enjoying getting his hair tugged by one little girl, until she head-butted him. Check out the care-giver's reaction!







Nicholas has become quite the speedy demon crawler. Just when you think you've got the shot set up, this happens:






There was also some time spent in the ball pool again. As his balance and grasping skills have gotten better, this has become a more favored place to play. Today, he started kicking, grinning and huffling as we got closer!







Then he realized that one of his girlfriends was there.
Hey Guys, she's MY friend!







We got one more family picture, then it was time to leave for the day. Making progress with the boy is such a good thing!

Sippy Cups are GRRREAT

Today was a bittersweet one. We had a great visit with Nicholas (more on that later), but it was preceeded by the departure of Robertson & Michele. We know that getting to know them and having their company while here has made this trip richer for us. Fortunately, they live not too far from one of Nicholas' sets of grandparents, so we plan to see them over the coming years. Nicholas and Morgan will be able to continue to be companions, sharing their heritage and their time in The Sun room at Dolphin House. To R&M - Best wishes on a safe journey home, and thanks! Oh, and Morgan says "ba ba ba ba ba ba sa sa"

Now to the title of today's post. In the past we've told you that the kids here drink from cups or shot glasses (milk or juice only!). So today was a first for Nicholas - a sippy cup. At first he was quite perplexed. Where's the goods? But being the brilliant child he is, he caught on very quickly. Check out this series of pictures, taken in order:



















Then we had some play-time with Daddy. For a change, he wasn't all sleepy at the end of our visit. In fact, he was still going strong when we left. He either slept well last night, or had a long morning nap. Either that, or the worst of his cold is over. He was less congested, so maybe that was it. Hopefully tomorrow will be more of the same, and since we've swapped out the batteries that sacked out on us mid-visit, we'll have more pictures for you all!

The Soundtrack of Our Trip

There seems to be a short list of songs in very heavy rotation here. The constant is a heavy disco beat and a candy-pop sound. What we’ve been hearing over and over (and over, and over) on MTV:

• Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape
  
• Mika - Relax, Take it Easy, which sounds light and fluffy, but the lyrics are kind of dark
• Madonna - Caught Up
• Something that sounds like Ya, Ma Ya, Ma Ya, Ma Ya from a Russian boy-band
• A song that goes “Malinki, Malinki,” which translates to “little, little”…???
• Anything from the PussyCat Dolls (I think this is more about the visuals than the “talent.”)
• Beyonce & Shakira

Oh, for some National Public Radio!

By the way, spring has officially arrived in Kostanai. People are not wearing hats for about the first time since we arrived; the streets have all been swept; all winter detritus has been removed from the curbs, sidewalks and planting beds, and Easter cakes are being carried about. We read about the bad weather in New Hampshire and Maine…I think we’ve actually had better weather here! While it was very cold when we arrived, there has been no precipitation to speak of. This is a grain-producing region, but we’re not sure where their precipitation comes from!

Today's visit was good. We were in the sleeping room again - fewer distractions. Nicholas has certainly gotten his parents well trained. We now do the following on cue:

• get a pacifier
• pick him up
• help him not fall when he pulls himself upright
• look as if we understand when he says "ba ba ba ba ba sa sa"

The milestone for today was his actually sitting and 'listening' to his first full book. The winner was the book "Way out in the Desert" which came from Barbara. Many thanks for being part of that event!

Sorry for the lack of pix - we only got one good one of little man. On the way out, we captured the guard dogs (sabaki) hard at work, and then the sign at the gate of the Dolphin Baby House.

We met Mr. Cranky Pants Today

Yup - the honeymoon's over, and Mr. Cranky Pants made an appearance today. We believe he has a head cold with a bit of chest conjestion, so that could be part of it. Another part may be that he was in 3 layers of clothing (a cotton onesie, terrycloth overalls and velour track suit) in a room that felt about 75 degrees...maybe that's why the little man had prickly heat!

We survived, and so did he. The nanny wasn't thrilled when we let him fall asleep before afternoon snack (warm milk with pieces of bread in it). However, as soon as he smelled it, he perked right up, chowed down and then went right back to sleep. Please note that he is a remarkably advanced 10 month old, who is drinking from a cup - drippy, but it kind of works. I think we'll be using sippy-cups at home.

So, the photos today are from over the past week or so. He was in no mood today, and the only good shots we got contained some of his pals, but not ones who have families, so it isn't permitted to post them.

We, however, have moods significantly improved from yesterday. Today was our pre-court, and we have a court date which should allow us to depart as scheduled. More details on that when things are complete.

Take care, and the newspaper crew need to check their e-mails.

Questions and Answers

Nothing fancy today - in fact, few pix. They're just randomly placed with the text - no connection.

A number of people have asked us questions on the blog, and we’d like to try and answer them. In no particular order, here we go:

Why would Nan’s hair smell like vinegar?

Well, the water here has some unusual scents and minerals, some of which tend to remain after the shower. This can make your skin and scalp sort of itchy, and can make your hair feel like straw. A very dilute mixture of white vinegar and bottled water, used as a final rinse, can help that tremendously, but you are left smelling a bit like a salad.

Why did we have on do-rags in the pix of us feeding Nicholas?

Short answer: because we were told to; longer answer: it’s probably to keep hair out of the food. The baby house cares for over 90 children. They have some very specific protocols to follow in order to help them stay as healthy as possible. We also have noticed that if a pacifier drops on the floor, it is immediately whisked off to the sterilization room – no kissing it up to God. However, if a chew-toy hits the floor, it just goes back to the hand it came from.

What is food shopping like?

This depends on which store we go to. Within easy walking distance are two western style supermarkets – much smaller than ours, but still well stocked. For those of you in the South End, one is about the size of Foodies; the other half that. Among the familiar brands we’ve seen are Coke, Sprite, Gillette, Nice & Easy, Dove, Nivea, Corona, Dannon, Heineken, Twix, KitKat, Pampers and Rubbermaid. American consumer products are well represented here! Beyond that, and as at home, many packages have labels which are unambiguous about their contents (canned veggies, rice and pasta fall into this category). However, it’s very helpful to learn the Cyrillic alphabet and the words for common food items – for example, chicken filets are in a package that has opaque wrapping and no picture of a chicken, but the word for filet is basically a straight phonetic match. It’s also important to know the words for milk as differentiated from kefir. The packages are similar (blue vs. green, but same shapes and markings) but kefir is a kind of fermented yogurt – not yummy to our taste buds!

One significant difference between these grocery stores and ours is that these seem determined to help accomplish full employment in Kostanai. There are always at least 2 staffers per aisle. Probably a security measure, but they also ensure that if you take an item off the shelf, all of those behind are immediately pulled forward – so no-one has to reach.

Aside from lactose-free milk, there’s very little we haven’t been able to find. However, since this isn’t a disposable society, some things are in scant supply: disposable razors are thin on the ground; diapers come in packages of no more than 25 – most people use cloth. We haven’t been into an apothecary (drugstore) yet, so can’t comment on supplies there. And it’s almost impossible to find good, fresh vegetables.

What about TV?

Soccer, Animal Planet, and a really lame and over-the-top version of candid camera. At least in Kostanai, there is no English-language television, with the exception of some of the promo pieces for Animal Planet. There are about 40 channels, but only about 10 stations broadcasting, so a run around the dial means repetition. Some other stunners we’ve seen have been Russian versions of Married with Children, a home design show that would make the folks at HGTV cringe. But the news this morning, on the Russian Today show, had a few pieces on preparations for Easter. Most we couldn’t follow, but the bit about painting the eggs was universal! Oh, and then there’s Fashion TV, and their Models Talk segment – kind of a misnomer considering the giggle factor. The word “like” should be banned.

When are we coming home?

Still don’t know. We’re waiting for the judge, who has had our file for a week, to set a court date. “Maybe” is a word one hears a lot…and it isn’t really helpful to the control-freaks of the world who have been away from all that’s familiar for a long time.

If we’ve missed anything, let us know, and we’ll do a part two.

Happy Birthday, Cousin Elizabeth!

I can't quite talk yet, but Mommy & Daddy helped me say Happy Birthday to my cousin Elizabeth. I can't wait to meet her, and the rest of my family.
As usual, we had a good visit with Nicholas today. He was very mellow when we arrived, but he enjoyed play time with Daddy, including reading his favorite book (thanks much to Michelle & Kosar for that winner!).













We only had about 45 minutes of play time before he started to really slow down. All he wanted was to be held and walked around - hmmm, what a hardship. We took this opportunity to bring out the carrier, and he was just fine with it - first with Jim, then with Nan. It's so much easier on the back to carry him that way, and it leaves your hands free - good for when we get home and need to make a quick trip to the store down the block. It's also great for some quiet one-on-one bonding time. He can feel our warmth and heartbeat, and gets to know what we smell like (he now thinks Mommy's hair smells like salads, thanks to the vinegar rinse!).

He let us know when he was done with the carrier, and today it was Daddy's turn to be the sleeping spot. These two pix were taken about 35 seconds apart. Gotta love both of them!










As usual, the visit ended with the little man in bed. Today, he was so out he didn't even twitch when he hit the mattress - so we had to give him a book - maybe it'll sink in while he's sleeping. We can't wait for the day that he sleeps in his own crib, and we're there when he wakes up.

The Politics of Transportation

We’ve mentioned the parking situation here, but didn’t go into anything about how the police, the populace, and their vehicles interact. There seems to be a very well manned police department in Kostanai (not that we want to find out up close and personal). As I write this, 9 am on a Tuesday morning, there is a police car parked outside our building. The two cops (always pairs that we can see) are standing beside their car watching passing traffic. Every so often, they wave large white billy sticks at a particular car, and the driver immediately pulls over, always using their turn signal (Boston drivers take note). I’m not sure what the infraction is, but it’s unlikely to be speeding as we haven’t noticed that at all. In any event, the driver exits the car, and presents the cop with some paperwork. Whether this is a driver’s license, vehicle registration or what, we don’t know. We also can’t tell if any tickets are issued, and then the driver is on his way.

On other occasions, traffic on our street is completely closed, to allow the unimpeded movement of what appear to be VIPs. When this happens, all parked cars must be moved, and all vehicular traffic is stopped for blocks. Everyone is very cooperative, and the delays to normal traffic appear to be minimal.

We went for a walk this morning – over to the main plaza, up by the University, and back through the park. It’s definitely coming up spring…the flower beds are losing their snow cover, and one can see where they are usually full of plants. We couldn’t determine what kind, but it looked as if something with fairly woody stalks had been cut back in the fall. Unfortunately, we won’t be here to see what actually blooms – or if we are, we’ll be in no shape to tell you about it!

Our visit with the little man today was great. We were in the sleeping room by ourselves, rather than in the play room with the other kids and caregivers. This was a first, but without the distractions, it was a really fun visit. Jim got Nicholas laughing out loud, and we have it on video – will show you later when we have more band width to upload. Anyway, Nicholas and Jim were face to face on the floor when Nicholas sneezed. Jim followed with one of his own, and Nicholas lost it. Of course, being the well trained rats (um, parents?) that we are, Jim obliged again and again…anything to get the little man to laugh!

He started to get a little antsy (our toys are apparently old news), so Nan grabbed the first thing at hand – one of Morgan’s toys – an inflated roller/drum thingie with bells inside. Wow – we’ll have to see if we can find one of these at home.

As usual, things ended with Nicholas in his crib - #6, (the one behind Jim in the other picture).

When we got home, Nan went to get a nail color change – for a grand total of $1.25. Meanwhile, Jim captured the afternoon action on our street, left, then right.

This evening we’re off to a nice dinner with Michele & Robertson, who have good reason to celebrate. Go over to their blog http://findingmorganadams.blogspot.com/

ET, Phone Home

No post yesterday – we were just kind of fried. Three weeks in, with two to go can start to wear on your nerves. Even Boston would be boring to a tourist after a while, and probably more so if you can’t read the menus, newspapers and road signs and don’t understand anyone. OK, so the description by others of this trip as being like the movie Groundhog Day is accurate. You begin to lose track of days of the week, and every day blurs into the previous and the next. Even the television falls into the groundhog syndrome. There are 50 operable channels, but only about 10 unique stations – the others are all duplicates. The Discovery Channel and Animal Planet are good, since we can usually follow along even without understanding the voice-over, and their commercials are in english. Oh for an English-language channel!

In the morning, we went to sign on to the internet as we always do with our tea & coffee. We were a bit surprised, however, to find that our brand-new 5,000 Tenge card was inoperable, despite having plenty of credit left on it as of the previous evening. We first thought it was an April Fool’s joke by the telecom folks. No, the card still wasn’t working a bit later. However, a card that had run out days before was now up and running again. We aren’t sure what’s up, but as long as we have access, we’ll take it!

Yesterday’s visit with Nicholas went well. We brought in an inflatable beach ball which he just loved. It was big enough for him to roll on, but also small enough for him to play with. We left it just slightly under-inflated (don’t worry – I said just slightly). This allowed him to squeeze it enough to get a grip (working on fine motor skills here) and swing it around. Happy chortles ensued.

He also showed us that he will really be a perfect fit in the extended Wolfe-Dugan clan. The boy loves nothing more than to flake out with a book. We’ll give him a little latitude right now for reading it upside down – the bottom was just a bit more yummy!

We spent some time getting him used to the baby carrier. He really wasn’t too sure about that, but mommy wants him to accept it so that trekking him about in airports and airplanes will (maybe) be a bit easier in May. A little bit every day…maybe he’ll be ok with it by the time we leave, and won’t torture Aunt Florence too much J

After the baby house, we headed over to the Philharmonic Hall to see the finals of a regional children’s talent contest, and to meet the other Americans in town. Unfortunately, when we arrived, it was sold out, and we couldn’t even get standing room seats. So off to the bazaar – a different one this time. We were looking for some slightly lighter weight jackets – it really is spring here, and down is too heavy sometimes. The search will continue, however. Jim didn’t find anything, and the leather jacket Nan really liked wasn’t available in her size. Oh well. And Maureen – no fabric seen that wasn’t of the decorating or dress variety – very shiny and flowers the size of an extended hand! The funny part of the bazaar visit was the fact that Zhanat kept telling us to zip up our jackets so we wouldn’t get cold. I think it was to keep us from looking too out of place- as if we would blend better with zipped up jackets!

Observation of the day today: Kostanai is a remarkably tidy city. Despite the fact that we haven’t seen any trash containers aside from those behind our apartment (which are emptied every 2-3 days), there is NO trash on the streets or sidewalks. This could be in part due to the fact that there aren’t Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks shops everywhere, providing ready trash. It could also be that people here have a great deal pride in their city, and want to ensure it looks its best. Something for most American cities and residents to think about.

The one thing we’re not loving today, however, is the fact that while we seem to have a more than adequate supply of hot water, there is no, repeat no, cold water. We all know that cold showers aren’t that easy to deal with. They can, however, be tolerated. It’s just not possible to take a shower in scalding hot water. Grrrrrrr. Hope it comes back so that we can have clean dishes at dinner-time. At least we have enough bottled water to wash our faces and brush our teeth!

Nicholas didn’t seem to mind our stale-ness when we visited today. He was in a good mood, and actually waved to us when we came into the room. It’s the little things.

We spent some time playing with Miss Morgan today – not cooperating, more like observing and tolerating each other. They both had fun with the balls from the ball pit, then Nicholas decided to make a break for it, straight for the camera.

Can’t wait to meet my family!

After one last round of Daddy-climbing, it was time to eat, and time for Mommy & Daddy to leave the boy in the Sun room (that’s the translation we were given, but if anyone can confirm that, we’d appreciate it – the key word is the one that starts with C).

Saturday...a quiet day

Nothing terribly exciting today. We took a walk in the morning to the bazaar. You can get everything from cosmetics to chopped meat (hmmm, that's a yummy combo!!). Stopped at Dolce Vita for lunch on the way back - 2 personal pizzas and 2 sodas for 760 Tenge - less than $6.50 including tip!

Jim was the star of the show today. He was doing everything possible to get the little man to laugh - very successfully. He even invented a new game - book sleds. Open up a large cardboard picture book, put a small person on it, and drag it across the carpet. The caregivers were giggling at that one. Nicholas seems to have asisgned each of us our roles in his life. The Daddy one is the fun and entertainment; the Mommy one is where you go when you want to snuggle and fall asleep. Hmm - we'll take that.

Here you go:


OK Dad, what did you do with the yellow cup?







Hmmm - I know the Mommy one - but who's that kid?

Rules of the Road

We’ve mentioned this in passing, but things are very different here in terms of all things driving. First off, seat-belts are rarely, if ever, used. Ditto car seats for kids. Hold on or bounce. In addition, it’s spring, and the melt is exposing those areas of road surface which have been damaged by the repeated freeze/thaw cycle. This means that lanes, which aren’t marked to begin with, are frequently ignored in favor of clear road. And they don’t have pot-holes here, they have truck-holes. We passed one a few days ago which could easily have held a pick-up.

Parking is another form of sport. Living where we do at home, we’ve become accustomed to tight parallel parking, and making the best of what little space you find. Here, there are fewer cars, but also fewer rules about where and how they may be left. There’s a parking area in front of our building which variously holds cars which have been parked straight in, angled, parallel, some combination thereof and tipped up on the curb. We saw a very nice Audi yesterday with the right front tire up on the curb of a high sidewalk – for no apparent reason. Guess they aren’t too worried about the suspension – the roads will take care of that anyway!

The vehicles themselves range from older Russian Ladas (see the red one across the street in the picture) through Toyotas, VWs and on up to Mercedes. Our driver has a very nice Volvo.

Next up: Pedestrians – or The Point System. We’ve determined after a couple of weeks that full-grown adults have the highest point value, closely followed by the young, the elderly and the infirm. In short, pedestrians do NOT have any kind of right-of-way here, and it’s everyone for themselves while crossing a street.

As a result of this road chaos, the public transit system is quite robust. There are mass transit vehicles of every size, length, width, height and state of disrepair (all are privately owned, but subject to prices fixed by the government). The length of the bus’ route is directly proportional to the layers of dirt and mud caked on its exterior. Note: if you and a bus approach a pothole at the same time, the bus will always win…especially now that we’re in melt season. The rivers (oh – I mean streets) are flowing, but especially so at intersections. As a result, anyone waiting to cross stands well back of the curb to avoid a mud-bath.

OK – travelogue over for the day! We have very few pictures of Nicholas today, but for a good reason. He seems to have really accepted us – kind of like getting over a hump. He was more playful than before, and his attention span was longer when playing with us and with his toys. He would spend a few minutes per toy, rather than the 45 seconds each we’ve been seeing. And there was lots of time spent using Mommy and Daddy as live action bouncy seats and walkers.

Our first for the day – a truly stinky diaper. Now it’s been a while since I’ve had to change a diaper (about 22 years, if I recall correctly), and Jim has never done so – so we approached this with some trepidation. The stinky was the worst part – but all 3 of us survived. Of course, today’s meal must have been roughage based, as he graced us with another opportunity less than a half hour later. One of the care-givers offered, and we happily took the cowards’ way out!

We do hope we’re able to change our visiting time, if possible. We visit from 1-2:30, but there’s not all that much opportunity to play when he starts getting cranky by 1:50, and is out like a light by 2. Yes, it’s nice to hold a sleeping boy, and yes, it’s good that he trusts us enough to sleep in our arms, but it would be better if we could actually interact with him more. Grrrr. Oh – and whatever he ate before we arrived not only was roughage, but it also gave him about the worst breath I’ve ever smelled. Jim chickened out and stayed away but I had no choice with the little guy asleep on my shoulder, huffing in the direction of my nose! Ah well – I’m sure mashed peas and carrots will have the same effect when we get home!

All the kids were on edge today – lots of whining, crying and crawling over each other. Jim’s musical talents came in handy again, as did the xylophone that Diane & Thorsten gave us. He used the sheet music to play some kid tunes on the piano and on the xylophone and a mesmerized silence reigned for the duration of the music. Even the care-givers were appreciative. Thanks guys – music not only soothes the savage beast, but also the little beasties at Dolphin House.

Tippi Hedren, where are you?

OK - so I had just completed the last post (scroll down) and went into the kitchen for a glass of coke. Standing, looking out the window I heard a noise. At first I thought it was from the kitchen in the next unit, then remembered that we've never heard anyone there. Then I realized the sound was coming from INSIDE this kitchen - specifically inside the sink cabinet.

I waited for Jim to come in (standing frozen), and told him I thought there was something in the room. I had to specify that I thought it was a rodent (he was looking at me kind of funny - hmmm, she's going over the edge). So he looked first in the main cabinet holding pots and staples...nothing. Then he opened the sink cabinet. All I could see was something large and grey that hadn't been there this morning, and didn't look like the bottle of dish detergent. He slammed the door shut, as I yelped RAT. No, not a rat, a bird - a pidgeon. Or to be most accurate, a rat with wings.

What does one do with a bird in the kitchen where the windows are kept closed, in the middle of Kazakhstan? After barricading the cabinet and beginning to devise a disposal plan, the doorbell rang. Now we're really wondering where Alfred Hitchcock is hiding. Turns out it was our landlord, stopping by to deliver fresh sheets. He spoke enough English to understand the situation (assisted no doubt by the freaked out look on my face and my flapping my arms and pointing to the sink). He looked in, turned around and said ptitsa. We now know the Russian word for bird!

Anyway, it seems there's a larger than normal hole in the wall where the plumbing lines go, which leads to a hollow up to the service area under the roof. This hole has since been plugged, and will not be cleared while we're in residence!

Cocktails anyone???

A quiet day in Kostanai

We had a fairly slow day today and were rewarded with a mellow little boy (at least for most of the visit). At first, he just wanted to sit and look at us - I guess we're starting to grow on him, and he needs to figure us out.


Then Nicholas and Daddy played Trot Trot to Boston (not yet, but we can wish, right?). This was a definite favorite for the day, and Jim think's it's a good replacement for doing his leg exercises!





Nicholas then got really mellow. We've noticed that in his quieter moments, he's fascinated by the different textures on the quilt we play on. He particularly likes running his fingers over the seams. Well today he decided there was nothing to do but to examine the quilting and the backing. He pushed all toys off, and pulled until he'd almost completely turned the quilt over. Not sure who made this quilt, but we thank you!

The final shot of the day is all about the boy - and it's all for the grandmas and grandpas (babushkas and dyedushkas). See you soon!

Nicholas & Morgan sittin' in a tree...

Sorry for the late post today - it's been a busy one, as we started the day with a quick walk to the telecom office to get a new phone/internet card, visited little man, then had Michele and Robertson over for dinner. Whew - we'll sleep well tonight.

And Nicholas had a busy day as well - he got to see a battery of doctors as part of the finalization process - to confirm everything that's in his file for court. Poor little guy got poked and prodded all morning, but was still in a pretty good mood when we arrived at 1pm for our visit.




Hey Pretty Girl - do you come here often?









Not a lot of pix - just a few of Nicholas and Morgan (one of his girlfriends, and Michele & Robertson's little girl) playing in the ball pit. Hmmm...ammo for when things get ugly in about 15 years (or as a cute photo when they get married???) And if I did things right, you should see a link below our main picture to Finding Morgan Adams - that's Michele & Robertson's blog about their adventures here.





Hey - Let's make a break for it - I think I see a stroller built for two over there!






Anyway - that's the scoop for now...we're off to watch another episode of the first season of Lost (now we understand the appeal!).

14 Days down; How many to go?

We have now completed the 14 days of baby house visits required by law, and will submit paperwork to the court tomorrow to formally apply for the adoption. Woo Hoo!!! This morning we took a short trip to the “Fee Office.” This is where one goes to get a form which then allows you to pay other fees…to the court etc. Not sure why receipts alone aren’t sufficient, but I guess this is a tracking process.

And we’ve also hit the famous wall. Similar to the Boston Marathon, we’re in the midst of things, with the finish line not yet in sight, and the terrain all looking the same (maybe at Newton?). Now neither of us are runners, but we can clearly feel the approaching pain of Heartbreak Hill – except that’s about ¾ the way through things, and we aren’t at that point yet. This is the point where the novelty has worn off, the exotic nature of things isn’t cutting it and you just want your own home. We just found what we thought was an English Language channel, only to realized it’s that the dubbing is delayed by about 10 seconds. Ugh.

OK – I’m getting out the cheese to go with that whine. On to the reason you (and we) came here.

More playing, more drooling, a little piano playing…a standard day in the Dolphin house. Nicholas got lost in a sea of primary colored balls in the pit…a little “Where’s Waldo?”

Then he decided to use one of the little rolling seats to pull himself upright – much pride at that (see above), before making a break for it…see the action shot! As has become customary, the visit ended with a mini-melt down followed by the pacifier and some quiet time.

Here is Nicholas completely ignoring Mommy and the kittie’s whiskers in favor of Daddy and the camera – a true 21^st century boy.

As for the piano – Jim said it was horribly out of tune, and it certainly hurt my ears, but all the kiddies seemed to enjoy it. If I can get things working, I’ll put up the video a bit later.

He Sleeps!

Today was a very quiet day with Nicholas. He was in full gear for a while, motoring around on the floor and in the ball pit. Then his little teeth started bothering him. It was drool city – too bad you can’t get the full effect in this picture.

Then it was time to walk him around a bit. People kept coming and going, providing distractions from the fascinating Daddy creature.

There came a point when nothing would help but the pacifier. Once the plug was in place, he just conked out. They say it’s a sign of trust for him to fall asleep in our arms. If so, we’ll take it.

Can we get an "Awwwww!"

After a late lunch, we went over to Michele & Robertson's for a tea, vodka and a chat. The four of us then went to the Sultan mall where we found some cute little kiddie clothes. We ended the day at Nautilus, a restaurant themed like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for some tasty beef don’t ask me what! Good company as always.

That’s all for now.

Schedules

For the moment, our lives are based entirely on the schedules of other people. When and for how long we will visit Nicholas; When we apply for and then go to court; When can we bring the little guy home. It can get a bit frustrating, but we keep reminding ourselves that this is a bit of time out of time, and the reward will be tremendous. So – on to specifics.

• We visit with Nicholas from 1-2:30 each afternoon. This allows each of the bonding families to have private time as we are all staggered throughout the day – or as private as possible when we visit in the middle of the play room, with the other kids and the caregivers right there.
• We may apply to get a court date when we have completed 2 weeks of documented visits to the baby house. For us, this will be complete after Tuesday’s visit, and the application will be submitted Wednesday, 3/28.
• It may take up to two weeks following our application to actually get a court date. During this time, a final search for Nicholas’ birth mother will take place, as there needs to be complete documentation of the situation before things can be finalized.
• We will also have pre-court during those 2 weeks, which has been described as a kind of dress-rehearsal. Not sure why, that’s just how it’s done in Kostanai. Then a few days later, we’ll have court and presumably be named Nicholas’ parents. This could bring us out to around April 11, assuming there are no holidays which would extend the time-frame. We will be able to visit Nicholas every day up through court.
• Following court, there is a mandatory 15 day waiting period (kind of like an appeals period) before the decision is actually final. This has nothing to do with adoption – it applies to all court proceedings in KZ. Basically, nothing further can happen until this period is over, which means that his new birth certificate can’t be issued, which has to be done before the passport is issued, which has to be done before the exit visa is issued, which for some reason can only be done on Thursdays – don’t ask why. All of that can take another 10 days or so beyond the 15 day wait, and must all be complete before we can take him to Almaty to the international medical clinic for review required for the US Embassy clearance to come to the states.

Because we will have been away from home for about 5 weeks by the time we get to court, Jim will have to return at that point in order to get back to work. Since much of the current American population will also be gone by then, and since Nan’s grasp of Russian is pathetic, she’ll also be coming home then. It’s not a fun thing to think about, but seems inescapable unless something significant changes. Under the current plan, Nan will then return to Almaty around the 2^nd week of May. Nicholas will be escorted there, and after the reunion, there will be a whirlwind 3 days of visits to western medical clinic, US Embassy and then back on a plane – home again, home again, jiggety jig!

Excitement for today? Well, there was the really smart move Nan made. The rechargeable battery charger really doesn’t work well when plugged into the wall with an adapter but without a converter…220 into a 120 appliance means a loud pop, and a nasty smell. Tomorrow afternoon’s goal will be to get a new charger!

Today’s visit brought a few new discoveries:

If there's any sign of illness in the baby house, everyone is subject to a medical review on entry. Yesterday we had our throats looked at. Today it was stepped up to being swabbed with something that looked like iodine, and you don't want to know how it tasted!

Our boy loves getting kisses on his neck – it’s the first time we’ve gotten a giggle out of him…Triumph!!! Some other general play time in and out of the ball pit and showing off for the girls, then it was time for snack.

It was Daddy’s turn to display his small person feeding skills in front of the care-givers. And isn’t he ever styling??

What's on TV?

We’re having a bit of a lazy day today, and watching TV. The show on this morning was a collection of commercials from all over the world. We had forgotten that American stars frequently make commercials for other markets…cash is a good thing! So far we’ve seen translations of familiar spots from a few years ago, and others that were obviously done for local markets by people we don’t normally see in commercials in the states: Sean Connery, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Brad Pitt and a host of others.

Other thoughts on TV shows here:

• Animal Planet works in almost any language, and so far we’ve seen Meerkat Manor in English (Bill Nighy narrating) and Russian (you can still understand “Mozart,” “Shakespeare” and “Flower”)
• Many voice-overs ignore the fact that there are multiple speakers – same V/O person regardless of character or gender

Check out Mr. Rally Cap! This is how we were greeted today on arrival at the baby house. The boy’s already getting into the swing of things!

We did a little more cruising and speed crawling today. Nicholas was the only one on the loose, and he seemed intent on showing all the girls what he could do. Some of them were watching carefully; others were ignoring him in favor of rattles and squeaky toys. Oh well, he’d better get used to fickle women at an early age!

After another round of playing “examining Daddy’s face and glasses” it was on to the new game of “getting into Mommy’s bag.” Sorry kid, no car keys for you.

Then we had the new and humiliating experience of trying to feed a child who REALLY wanted his snack, in front of the caregivers who were trying hard to hide their grins at my ineptitude. Not only are you taking on a new challenge, it comes with a new costume. I think I should get points for the fact that I’ve never had to feed a child bread in warm milk with a tablespoon. Yes, I said tablespoon – it was like feeding a rabbit with a wheelbarrow!

The final shot of the day is the peaceful child with the binkie – about to fall asleep.

Our plans for the rest of the day are to follow suit! Nap, followed by "A Beautiful Mind."

Someone asked size info. Nicholas is currently about 17lbs, and 26" tall, but keep in mind that he won't be home in Boston for almost 2 months and will then probably start growing rapidly.

So what do we do the rest of the time?

Family Picture!

Several people have asked what we do with the time we aren’t with Nicholas. What – we have lives other than those 1 ½ hours? Well, we’re trying to learn a bit about Kostanai and its people while staying in touch with the outside world. Jim and Robertson spent about 2 hours wandering this afternoon, while Michele, Zhanat and Nan were having their nails done.

We have yet to find an English-language newspaper or TV station, so the internet is our source of news. Thank goodness for phone cards! The favorite TV station is Fashion TV – 24 hours a day of runway shows and cute young things…well, at least one of us appreciates it! For the past few days there has also been ice skating, synchronized swimming and diving competitions on – you really don’t need to understand what they’re saying to follow along.

Re food: We’ve been eating quite well, if with fewer vegetables than normal. It’s tough to find fresh veggies here – guess it’s a combination of the climate (cold & dry) and the distance from actual farms. We generally stop at the grocery every other day. There are actual western-style grocery stores, in addition to collections of small markets, and we’ve found familiar brands, such as Nivea, Dove, Lipton and Dannon. We haven’t seen any lactose free milk, but have been astounded by the fat content in the milk. Zhanat, our coordinator, says that 10% milk-fat is her favorite, but she’ll drink the 6% in a pinch!

We usually get up between 6 and 8 (Jim at 6, Nan at 8!). First thing is to check our e-mail, and your responses to the blog. It really is great to hear from everyone. This is when we have our breakfast. Jim brought a pound of coffee and a French press, and just yesterday we discovered that the market next door has ground coffee (from France?) rather than the more commonly available freeze-dried that the locals prefer. Starbucks, where are you??? Then we sometimes go for a walk to explore, or do some laundry. We’re lucky to have a new washing machine, very similar to the one we have at home – front loader with a variety of cycles. However, and this is a biggie, we think that the only water coming in is hot, and the capacity is fairly limited – yesterday’s load managed 2 pairs of jeans and 3 t-shirts, and that was pushing it! There is no dryer, so we’ve strung up a line between two doors. Things dry fairly quickly here, but are a bit crunchy when done!

As for the weather, when Zhanat told us this was spring, we initially laughed, but we now understand. It’s very cold in the morning (around 15-20F), but once the sun comes up, it starts to warm pretty rapidly. Yesterday afternoon and today it felt like about 40. While that’s wonderful, the impact is melt. The sidewalks become tracks of slush leaving everyone jockeying for the dry or high ground. There seem to be very few storm drains, so the roads are rivers, and pedestrians must stay well back of the curb or risk a mud bath. And have we mentioned the drivers? The concept of lanes is a fairly loosely observed, especially when it becomes necessary to avoid the car-absorbing potholes…and no-one uses seat belts.

After the visit with Nicholas, it’s into the center of town to explore. We went to a new neighborhood yesterday – similar to ours, but with some different restaurants. We’re still looking for the bazaar we’ve been told about…with lots of fresh food, and less expensive consumer goods (we need a serrated knife, and a new fry-pan would be nice as ours takes longer to clean than it did to cook whatever we made!).

Evenings are either at home, or out to eat. So far, most dinners out have not cost more than about $8 to $10 per person, including a beer! Last night we were treated to a home cooked meal by Michele and Robinson. It was a very enjoyable evening of food, wine and conversation for which we thank them. Later on, we frequently watch one of the DVD’s we brought, then head to bed by 11ish. And then groundhog day begins again.

Today's visit was extra special. We brought cakes and joined the caregivers for a little afternoon tea and conversation. Lots of fun, and we got to hear Nicholas actually laugh for the first time, when he was playing with his favorite, a very nice young woman named (we think) Nadia - will verify that.



There was quite a bit of cruising around the ball pit today, and lots of active crawling and drooling. One interesting facet of Kazakhstani cultural ideosynchracies (sp?) - children are not supposed to be cold in any way shape or form. Since Nicholas is teething, I asked if I could bring in one of those teething rings that are kept in the fridge, so they are soothing. The answer - Yes, but it must not go in the fridge...it would be too cold and might make him sick. Hmmm, well, we aren't home yet. Then we had a lesson in blowing raspberries (gotta be ready when the Yankees come to town!).

We'll leave you today with a photo of the sign for the Dolphin Baby House - a most excellent place for Nicholas to have gotten his start.

A New Year and a New Name

Some additional info on Nauryz – thanks to Florence:

Nauryz is the traditional spring festival celebrating the new year held throughout the Central Asian communities of the former Soviet Union. The roots of Nauryz are in pagan festivals celebrated to enhance the fertility of animals and the soil in planting and mating periods. In literature, it was first mentioned by Tole-Bi in 1720.
Nauryz is one of the most important national holidays among the Central Asian people. The holiday is usually celebrated at the spring equinox, when day and night are of equal duration, representing the time of the year when the difficult winter ends and spring renewal begins.
Nauryz celebrations are big events where games are played, traditional ceremonies are performed, heritage costumes are worn, and festive foods are served. People visit with friends and relatives to deliver expressions of well being and to wish good luck for the upcoming year. Tradition says that the more one celebrates Nauryz, the more successful the New Year will be.
In the Kazakh language, Nauryz is also known as Ulys Kuni (the first day of the new year) and Ulystyn uly kuni (the great day of the people). A particularly symbolic tradition is the “dance” of the light and dark spirits, winter and summer. Other traditional activities include horse races, fortune telling, camel racing, wrestling, racing barefoot, poetry readings and the giving of small gifts and flowers to the elderly.

According to Zhanat, Nauryz is also the name of a mythical Kazakh prince who fought the 3 bad women – the Snow Queen, the North Wind, and the Darkness. They struggled for 3 days, and he finally prevailed, and won the hand of the Spring Princess. Sounds a bit like the Persephone story, no? Guess some things are universal.

Lots of Nauryz celebrations here in town – will have some pix tomorrow of those, as we are headed out the door shortly to check things out. We're then off to Michele & Robinson's for New Year's Dinner.

As for SPW, he’s now NJW – Nicholas James Wolfe.

He seems to agree that this will work, as it fits him, keeps some of his heritage intact, and will still fit in Boston. Some stats for you: As of March 1, he weighed in at a whopping 17lbs, and was 26” tall. The outfit he had on yesterday (and again today) is from Baby Gap, and was their 6-12 month size. We bought a snow suit and another little track suit yesterday – lots of guessing on sizes, but I think we hit it right.

Play time today was lots of fun. He’s starting to pull himself upright on the side of the little ball pit. This worked beautifully until he turned and we didn’t move fast enough…bonk of the head, and a few tears but nothing significant.

As you can see, his disposition improved with checking out Mommy.

Then it became sleepy time, and time for us to go.

A good visit today

We got to spend some quality floor time with the little man today. Turns out he's in a group where he's the only boy. Most of the little girls are in the process of being adopted, so he's got big prom-date plans for NYC, Philly and Miami in about 17 years!



Not all that much to talk about, so we'll just give you the pix (since that's what you're really here for anyway!):

Daddy - Are you sleepy too?

Happy New Year

Today was a busy one at the baby house, but it didn’t include a visit with SPW. We met with the doctors to review all of his medical history, and then were invited to watch the Nauryz celebration show put on by the staff. Nauryz (sp?) is the New Years celebration, which seems also to be a bit of spring thrown in. No pictures today as we captured people who have not given permission to show their antics.

The first act was a very cute number with some of the children. First, a little girl of about 3 came out with one of her teachers. They were beautiful Kazakh princesses showing off their dance skills, their long hair and allure. They were followed onto the stage (music room floor) by another teacher and little boy, both of whom were decked out complete with drawn on moustaches and beards. They showed off for the two women, and led them off into the sunset. This was followed by a group of 4 little ones singing a traditional song.

Then came the real fun. This event is one of the chances the teachers and staff have to relax and really be entertaining and silly. The members of each group put on a little skit, song or poetry recital (generally composed for the event). We didn’t understand a word, but some things are universal.

The women who are working on renovating two suites did a few send-ups of Russian MTV – complete with over the top dance moves, a la Shakira and Prince. The nurses read a poem about their wishes for everyone for the New Year, including not getting a list of illnesses, and no more kilos. The piece de resistance was the group led by the music teacher (the only man we’ve seen on the premises). He was the drunken sultan coming home to his disappointed harem, each of whom attempted to entice him back to her. Gotta say, this crew has a sense of humor!

A request for all of you: We neglected to bring with us a book of nursery rhymes, and are having trouble not singing the wrong words. If anyone has time, could you find us some links and e-mail them to wolfepacboston at yahoo.com? Thanks!

Touch base tomorrow, when we’ll have more updates. And thanks for your e-mails and blog comments. We look forward to reading them – contact with home is precious.

We are pleased to introduce SPW

This is Mr. Yarislav Nicolaievitch, soon to be ________ _________ Wolfe (we’ll get to that later).

He is 9 ½ months old, and so far seems fairly pleased to be joining the Wolfepac. We formally notified the doctor who manages the baby house of our decision this morning, and so the process can move forward. We will spend an hour and a half each day (1:00-2:30) visiting and helping him learn what it’s like to have parents, and having him teach us what it’s like to have a son.

I’ll put in a disclaimer here – we’re new parents, so we’re going to gush – just get over it. He very much likes to crawl, is just sitting up on his own (Pilates definitely works), and likes to stand and bounce if he’s supported – standing on belts and waistbands was a fave today. He’s very curious, and happy to explore his world and these new big people who seem to want to do nothing but play. These pictures were taken over the course of the past few days – couldn’t put anything up until we had finalized our decisions.

We were also taken on a tour of the baby house today. All I can say is Wow! This is an amazing operation. There are about 90 children, separated into groups of about 8-12, based on age and development. Each group lives in a large 3-4 room suite with its own entry area with little lockers for each child. This is where we drop off our coats and change from street shoes into slippers. Then it’s into the large play room. Each one is outfitted based on the kids who live there. Some have big playpens, suspended bouncy seats and small ball-pools (like at McD’s). Others have child size furniture, doll houses etc. The sleeping rooms have either cribs or toddler beds, and each suite has a bathing room and toilet room. No pix of this right now, as we can’t post any with children other than our own.

In addition to these suites, there are music rooms, a gym/play room, a small swimming pool, and a kiddie sauna! Finally there are the support areas – physical therapy, speech therapy, full nursing staff, infirmary, laundry facilities and two kitchens – one just for milk/formula, and the other for solid food. We were treated to some of the bread made on the premises – haven’t had any that good in a while. The staff numbers something over 120.

OK – on to the name thing. We had both boy and girl names all picked out when we got here, but Slava (as he’s known here) doesn’t seem to fit what we had. So, we’re back to square one. We have some ideas, but would be happy to entertain all reasonable suggestions – just send them along.

Life in Kostanai

We’re settling in here, and getting more accustomed to our environment. Our apartment itself is very comfortable. It’s about 1,000sf, with a large entryway, living room, eat in kitchen, full bath, and a very compact bedroom. OK everyone at MetCab – your challenge is to redesign this kitchen to give me more working space! Actually, I think within the next few years as the economy begins to improve there might be quite a market for updated kitchens!

Kostanai, or at least this neighborhood, is laid out in a grid, so it’s fairly easy to make your way around and, more importantly, find your way home. Our apartment is on a broad boulevard lined with 5-storey apartment blocks distinguished by the different shops at ground level. Many have enclosed porches, which serve as extra rooms in the warm months, and storage or clothes drying areas in colder months. We took advantage of that yesterday, and freeze-dried our blue jeans. These two pictures were taken from our kitchen window. The building in the picture on the left with the purple accents is one of many markets within walking distance. We discovered this one today with the help of Michele and Robertson, the couple from Miami also in process here. Great produce, fresh eggs, and an extremely interesting meat department. You name it, they have it, out for all to see. Obviously, the FDA hasn’t arrived in our neighborhood!

A bit further away is a place called TSUM. It’s kind of like a department store on 3 floors, but each department is individually owned and operated. Lots of commercial goods are available there, from small electronics to fabric and clothing to some beautiful leather and fur jackets. PETA hasn’t set up shop here, and most women wear fur coats as a matter of comfort. Hey, when it’s 20 below, who’s thinking about the little critters???

Beyond Tsum is the University neighborhood. There are about 5,000 students enrolled, as this is the regional capital. Education is highly prized here, so the school is well attended. There’s a large park (Central Park) just outside the university which, despite the cold, seems to always have people promenading. More pictures on that another day.

And then there are the dogs - seems that you can find “sabakas” everywhere. These two live at the baby house, and serve as a kind of a guard force. They come to recognize the people who belong, but defend the property if someone who doesn’t belong arrives. Not sure of the breed – they look a bit like collies, but way smaller.

As for us, we should have some good news to post tomorrow – need to finalize some paperwork and make things official before we go into any details.

Paka Paka (bye-bye)!