Hope you receive this

We are still having internet blog problems but here we go again...All visits are going perfect and Dias warms up to us more and more. He does not like Mike's "stickly" beard. He practically flys into my arms when we arrive. He is quite content most of the time when we leave and clearly feels at home (of ocurse he does) with his little family group.
They pee and poo in little blue basins and it too cute when he goes and gets number 9 (everything is numbered for each child) pot, does his thing, hands it to me to rinse, goes and washes his little hands and dries then on towel number nine. They eat a very healthy diet. Fruit everyday (we did not see that in '05) and vitamins everyday (also nyet in '05).
Our apt. is terrific and except for the computer problems - oh vey!!!!! - and our DVD player fried or something, all else is good. We are quite comfortable this trip. Dias is wonderfully cared for and as usual the babyhouse is clean and orderly.

Hello from Taldy Korgan

We are still having computer problems. Hopefully tonight we will have a solution. We are enjoying our visit with Dias so much. He is a very sweet child and all boy. He has started to hug us when we arrive which of course makes me very happy. He loves to play cars and on the playground and eats everything we bring him with great gusto. The weather is gorgeous but we hear there will e snow in next three days. Our translator Enessa is a very nice woman and now a friend. Out apt. is comfortable and modern. I drink the cherry juice every day. Susan Cole knows what I mean. And the yogurt here is so good. We eat at our apt. and have been very happy with that. We are going to church tomorrow before we visit Dias and Mike is going to Mosque with our driver next week. We did some marketing today which I love all the fresh foods and bakery and butcher shop. We have been watching video from when Shawn was a baby. We miss him so much. He is well and happy and I think having alot of fun. Everyone wants him to visit. Who knows.........Thank you for writing, it means so much. We are half way through our visit. I hope to have photographs on by tomorrow. Again, for all who sent photos, the baby house staff LOVE seeing these kids.
We are having such a good visit and we feel the Kazak team is doing everything they can to make sure we make the court happy. We had to get permission to visit, we have been observed, we sign in everyday, so does the doctor and the translator that we are visiting everyday. Dias is is a mommas boy it appears so far, whcih is the opposite of Shawn when we were here. Of course I love it and Mike is o.k. with it. All the children run up to him when we arrive each day and tell him we are there....your momma and pappa are here....they all deserve this. Several children from photos we had from 2005 have gone to the orphanage. You can tell it saddens the staff.
More later. We are well. Love to all. Paka.

Hanging out in Amsterdam

It is snowing and our plane is delayed one hour. We walk around then we sit in the KLM lounge and eat and drink. Read and nap. Almost ready to leave for the plane. We "hear" Shawn is happy and all is well.
I had to buy convertor to use the lap top. We have one but it is in the checked luggage, not thinking we'd need it in Amsterdam.
So list so far:
Join the World Perks KLM Lounge Club
Take your convertor with you in carry on.
We will do business in a.m. and it sounds like we will leave for Taldy tomorrow!
One last note, the French at Air France are snobs. The Dutch at KLM are awesome!!!! First funny story to tell later........
One day closer to Dias.

KLM lounge

O.k., first off, which ever family recommended to buy the KLM lounge pass, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! SO worth it already. We are on line for free, we are sipping drinks and just had a nice lunch. All included in the membership. Quiet, clean and comfy. We think it is well worth the money. Mike wants to look at motorcycles on-line, so I will read. Shawn was happy this a.m. and did not seem anxious. He said he would miss us and hugged us extra long. The grandparents will be doing some serious spoiling and he deserves it.
Maybe I can write from Amsterdam. Since this is an international flight there are so many different kinds of people and languages around us. Love it. We are so thankful for this chance. Our Kazak coordinator just emailed us to wish us a safe flight. Our coordinators with old agency and the new one called yesterday. We are in the best of hands. This just has to have a happy ending..........

Taldy Bound

Well, after many hours of packing, cleaning (Grandparents are staying in our home with Shawn), errands and repacking, we are finally ready to travel.
Had a nice dinner with family this evening-Mexican food of course-and spent some QT with Shawn and I guess we are as ready as we are gonna get. The photographs of the kids I received that are adopted from Taldy, I will take to the baby house and hopefully get a few pictures of the ladies looking at the children who are so changed since they left Kazakh soil.
Aida, is a little girl that we met in 2005 in Taldy. She had a severe cleft palate that I believe a repair was attempted, she had no hair from being shaved and it was so hot that summer they let the kids run around in undies. Everyday she would come up to us and smile, and hug us and drool all over us and pinch us! Yes, she would smile so sweet and then pinch us on the leg. And if you did not love on her some more she would pinch you again harder. She was incredibly precious!
I received photographs today of a stunningly beautiful dark eyed princess. Those eyes, that smile, that pose! She is NOT the same child we met in 2005. She is such an example of what love can do. Her parents, the Criners, muct be so proud of her.
Long trip ahead but closer to that baby every mile! We are SO thankful for the opportunity to make this happen and we are not forgetting it almost did not happen. We are not taking anything for granted. Just glad to have the chance.

"Leaving, on a jet plane......."

We finally received our letter of invitation and we are Kazakhstan bound this Saturday. There was more paperwork to be done, air travel arrangements to be made and many last minute details. Mike and I both are working tomorrow and will have Friday together to put the final touches on things and off we go the next morning to Houston. We had to take a more complicated route this time with more stops and longer layovers but are still flying with KLM/NWA which we wanted. Golden Rule Travel is arranging it all and prices weren't bad. We bought travel and medical insurance and I added the Business Class lounge to our World Perks Membership (thank you adoption loop)so at least our layovers will be a little nicer. Well worth a few hundred bucks for all that! The price difference between economy (us) and the other classes is insane! We will be economy thank you very much,
Medicines were obtained just in case, and I am scouting out anyone that has extra Valium! I plan to stay medicated or intoxicated the entire trip. Mike's look was too precious when I informed him of that travel suggestion. Last trip to Kazakhstan I savored every moment and wanted the whole enchilada of experience. This time I am "Wake me when we get there...." mentality. I will get perky again when I can see Dias and those other kids...I feel it building.
Shawn has been precious and seems to truly get it about how hard this is to leave him but needed if we are to adopt Dias. He is so brave and sweet.
We arrive in Almaty at 5:40 a.m. and have a meeting (which we knew nothing about) with the Minister of Education offices at 9:00 a.m. Should be interesting......
Between us being hung over, jet lagged, stinky and grumpy, maybe they will be glad to cut it short! Of course we'd hang by our fingernails in our long johns if they wanted us to.
All I can write at this moment, is yes, it is worth it. No matter what happens.

Sleeping Angels

GotchaGiftRegistry and Comments

Hi Friends and Family,
Many of you will be receiving a card from GotchaGiftRegistry. This is an online adoption gift registry. They also have a journal we will be posting to.
I also found a service that will print our journal and blog into a book. We would love you to comment to both or either so we can save them for Dias. In adoption, the traditional baby books etc., don't always fit. A hard copy of all this writing will be his story of sorts. We'd love as many comments as possible. I have tons of emails I will also print and add.
I am trying to post a photograph sent to me by one of the members of SPOON org. from Taldy. Be on the look out. Made a blanket for Dias to keep while we are gone.
A photograph albulm is being built and will be added to while we are there for Dias. I hear the baby house staff are very willing to show the waiting children the photographs and help them remember and grasp the idea that "Mommie and Daddy" are real and are coming back. When we had to leave Shawn there were Amercians there building a playground and he was allowed to hang with them. But it was reported he was sad and wouldn't eat while we were gone. Of course he was 2 1/2 and we could not really explain things to him. But Dias will turn four while we are there and will hopefully be able to grasp the concept.

No we have not left yet....

We are still in the U.S. A friend thought we'd left and just had not written anything. No, we are still here. Yes, we are still going. Our LOI has not been issued. No, we don't know why. We are bascially ready and will go when they summon us. I can't get an ulcer over it which I was headed for. No complications that we are aware of. We will hopefully still leave the weekend before Thanksgiving and be gone approximately 21 days. Then home for about 8 weeks. Back for court, in Kazakhstan around a week we are guessing. Then around 2-4 weeks later to make our final visit and bring little Dias home forever. The plan is for me to make that trip alone. Anyone want to accompany me?????
We signed up for a new service that will host a travel journal and is an online gift registry. The woman that created this and runs it is an adoptive mom. I have enjoyed visiting with her. I think she has a great idea. Go to www.GotchaGiftRegistry.com and check it out.
My next posting will be that we are traveling!
Love to all.

Our Journey Home is "finally" beginning

Received a call from Regina from our adoption agency yesterday. Our tentative date for travel is November 22, 2008. We will receive a Letter of Invitation with the secured date in the next week. Our facilitator in Kazakhstan is working really hard to organize our visit and make all the arrangements. She is currently working with another family and when they are settled in she will devote her time to making our first visit happen.
Our families are looking forward to caring for Shawn while we are gone and there are suitcases getting packed. One small paperwork glitch and Mike and I will drive to our capital-Austin, next week and obtain that.
We are planning on around 21 days for the first trip, then home for the holidays and in a perfect adoption, back for court. After court has granted us the adoption, there is a 14 day period where anyone (us, the court, the child's birth family etc.) can change their minds. If all goes well, we will return for our third and final stay.
I gave birth to my daughter Lauren 23 years ago. Someone commented to me, that she had "finally arrived", as I had lost previous pregnancies.
Our son Shawn was adopted 3 years ago. A caregiver at the baby house told us, they had told Shawn (Adilet) that his family had "finally arrived", when we drove up to the orphanage.
When we went to adopt Shawn, a little boy was just down the hall who was 7 months old at that time. That little boy was the child we are adopting.
I cannot wait to say "finally".
Thank you friends and family for your love and support.
Keep praying that the Kazakhstan government will look favorably on our request to adopt.

Yes we are still adopting.....

Message directly from the facilitator in Kazakhstan is we should be receiving our Letter Of Invitation mid-November and leave for first trip end of November. The reason for the later time frame is not because of problems though. The Kazakh end of this can only handle so much at a time and their schedules are full. We understand this and appreciate them for keeping details and their families first. They refuse to do more business than they can give all their attention to.
We have packed a few things and are making the arrangements for the house and care of Shawn while we are gone. One more document to notarize and appostille (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?????) so Fed Ex bound we are today in between Fall Festivals and Birthday parties and laundry.
We are collecting photos and such from adoptive families to take to Taldy and they are starting to arrive. I can't wait to present these to the staff at the baby house. Have wrapped a few birthday gifts (sniffle, sniffle..) for Dias as he will turn 4 while we are there.
Probably no news for a few weeks but will write it when we know.
So, Yes we are still adopting. No, we haven't heard anything. But everyday brings us closer to our child.