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.
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!
