Fall Together

It is fall in Saint Louis--a beautiful time of year. The leaves won't change for a while yet, but the weather is glorious. Life is good here in the B-T house, and seems to get better by the day. In my last post, I reported our having settled into a routine, which we have. But the routine expands weekly and we've been able to add more and more to it. For instance, because Evelyn has finally begun to enjoy riding in the double-jogger stroller (for the first month or so she'd cry just as soon as she was put in it) I now get to go outside with the kids almost every day. I've even begun to jog some of that time too! It's so beautiful right now, it's a treat to get out of doors.

Weekends together with Brent home are lots of fun too. We go to the Farmers Market in Tower Grove park every Saturday morning, where we nearly always meet up with friends. The cool thing is we never have to coordinate such meetings since lots of the people we know also go regularly. We've gone to the zoo a couple of times, and have enjoyed evening walks in Forest Park (complete with a beer on the dock at the Boathouse). All four of us also continue to enjoy our tradition of happy hour on the porch--continuing our tradition from Kazakhstan.

Like father like son.
He gets so much joy out of just holding an empty beer bottle, 
just imagine how much he'll enjoy the beer itself one day!

Enjoying her exersaucer on the patio!

This is the first trip to the zoo.
You can see how very interested they were!

The second time they at least took notice of the goats!

We've been able to hang out with friends more and more, which is great. Since a lot of these friends 
have kids, Jess and Evelyn have lots of new playmates. There are new friends for them on the horizon too as I've just organized a playgroup with some other moms I know. (That last sentence, by the way, is one I never expected to utter. How surprising life can be...) So, that's all by way of saying life is good. Things are falling into place and we're enjoying our new life together as a family.

Jess and Eves continue to grow and change and impress us (and drive us crazy sometimes too)! I'll tell a few stories about each just to give you a picture of life with them. Let's start with...

The Jess-ter

He's a wild and crazy guy!

About two weeks ago Jess went on a food strike. Out of the blue, he simply decided that really meals are a form of baby-torture. So, he'd scream violently (as if having been beaten about the head and neck) if we managed to sneak a spoonful of (my lovingly-prepared) food in his mouth. Even if we doused everything with yummy yummy apple sauce--it was child abuse. This went on for several nights. What we eventually figured out is that he was just rejecting pureed food. As soon as I cut up some fruit, potatoes, pasta, etc. the strike was over and he once again joined the world of solid foods. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me: the guy only has two (partially grown-in bottom) teeth, cannot pick up much of this food himself, and has never even had any finger food before this...nevertheless, out of nowhere he has the wherewithal to decide that such items MUST be on the menu. If they are, then he is willing to tolerate some pureed food too.
He continues to pull himself to standing using every object in sight. Pulling up on stable objects has become something of a bore, however, so he's taken to finding as unstable an object as possible for the job: the oven (which is never on, but still), the cabinets (which while child-proofed still open a bit and so can pinch fingers), empty laundry baskets, the walkers and ride-on cars (which roll or tip over), his sister, his rocking horse, etc. To add a further challenge, he is really into pulling up while gripping a toy in one or both hands. Not only is there the challenge of accomplishing the feat with one hand, but the added bonus of having something play with once he's standing (and something to fall on).

I've propped the horse in a corner so it can't rock and he call use it to pull up without as much chance of injury. Below is Jess in Evelyn's crib. He likes to stand up, turn on the mobile, and then pull the animals as they go by.

He sometimes says "mamama", but that inevitably slips into "nahnahnah" (--sounds like cross between no-no and nite-nite--could there be a connection?). I could swear, moreover, that he says (and means) "Hiiiiii!" He said that while looking at Abby today.

Evie-Girl

Evelyn is emerging from her shell and just flowering before our eyes (I guess that's a mixed metaphor). It's a wonderful thing. She's showing herself to be less serious and much more goofy and fun-loving than our early days together seemed to indicate. We're enjoying discovering this little creature.

This outfit is a hand-me-down from cousins Alley and Claire. We think that Evelyn is channeling the spirit of Claire here--her expression is so like some goofy expression that one might find on Claire's face.

Since Jess has, of late, become obsessed with clapping, we've been trying to get her to clap too. It is clear that she knows what we're asking her to do, but has had some difficulty doing it. Initially, when we asked her to clap she'd pump her arms in the air spasmodically a few times and then clasp her hands together. And when she did actually try to clap, her hands would miss each other. Now she really enjoys it when we clap her hands together for her, and I'm convinced that the experience of us clapping her hands for her gave her an idea. Last weekend when, once again, we were saying "C'mon, clap Evie" she grabbed my hands and clapped them together. So cute! And, really, it works well for her--it's like having a pair of cymbals. Our hands are so much bigger they don't miss and they yield a much more satisfyingly loud clap-sound. This is her new favorite thing--though she does also keep on practicing with her own hands.
She now has six teeth. While she could take or leave the finger foods, she does enjoy taking a good chomp on human flesh now and again. At night, instead of sucking on my arm as she used to, she will bite me instead. The first few times it took me by surprise, and when I yelped with pain, pulling her quickly off of my arm, I'd almost always find her smiling broadly. Indeed, whenever she scores a bite, she smiles in obvious delight! I worried a little at first that maybe we were raising a little baby sociopath. I was relieved, however, to read in a baby book that this is normal. We're following the instructions of saying "No biting" firmly and then distracting her with something else. I just get the feeling she's not taking us seriously as she simply grins at us whenever we make this correction. Like this:

Meet Fang.

The last news about Evelyn is that she has expanded her vocabulary. Whereas most of her vocal repertoire to this point has consisted in sounds resembling some ancient proto-bird (we affectionately refer to her as "the Pterodactyl"), she has now officially begun to make human baby sounds. She now says "Bababababa". Isn't that exciting? For our part, we are in awe.

Oh, and just this very second, she waved at me for the first time! So, you see, they are doing new and exciting things by the moment.

Well, I'll end the narrative portion of the post here. Here are a few last pictures.

Here he is: the amazing clapping boy!

Happy little bed-head.

A Different Life

So, I went in to my office the other day after 10+ weeks away. After greeting me warmly and catching up a bit, the administrative assistant asked me "So, is your life different?"

I was at a loss for words. The only thing I could think to say at that moment was "Well, sometimes I go to bed at 8pm!" Lame response, I know, but where does one start? (For those of you that know Brent and I from our previous life, this bedtime does signify a great deal. In that life, we would typically get home at about 8pm and so only just starting to get dinner underway.) So, anyhow, I thought I'd use this first real post from home to give you a sense of the shape our life is taking these days.

So, what can I tell you about life at the Brower-Toland home?

• We have now settled into a pretty consistent routine, which is good for all of us. The babies sleep, wake, eat, and even poop at pretty much the same time each day. Thankfully, time and our routine has all but erased the ravages of the post-traumatic stress we suffered from the 28 hour trip between Almaty and Saint Louis (for a while there Jesse's crying could induce painful flashbacks).

• Brent has become a morning person by force of necessity; he gets up at 5:30am each day so he can beat the traffic and get to work by 6:30am (this also gets him home by 3:30pm to relieve me for a few hours).

• I find that parenting involves every ounce of energy I have and every bone in my body. I have even discovered that my feet are a wonderful resource. Not only do they carry me up and down the stairs a million times a day, but while I hold and feed one baby, I often use my feet too grab and shake toys for the other baby while s/he waits for his/her turn. Sometimes I have to use both my feet to grab and pull Jess away from whatever dangerous endeavor he's embarking on. Brent has been known to gently and lovingly pat Evie with his foot. (We're still trying to feed them one at a time in order to maximize things like eye contact and closeness during feedings.)

• My wrists hurt a good deal of the time, I wear a Ben-Gay patch on my back at night, I have hickies (from Evie) on my left arm. Brent frequently complains of "bottle neck" (i.e. a kink in the neck one gets from looking for long periods down and to the left at babies while they drink their bottle).

• I am constantly doing laundry. How do two tiny little bodies change my routine from doing laundry once every two weeks (OK, I procrastinated on this chore before) to doing it every single day.

• I get up a lot at night to go in the nursery and check on the little people. The other night, Brent--probably tired of being awakened by my coming and going--followed me into the twins room whispering: "WHY ARE YOU PESTERING THOSE BABIES?" I don't pester them, though, I just touch them a little to see if they seem too hot or too cold...and that they're breathing.

• Whenever I leave the house without both babies in tow, I feel like there is an invisible rope around my waist. The farther and longer I'm away the more the tension increases--I feel nervous. When I turn back home, however, the tension begins to let up and relaxes fully when I reach the door. (When does that go away? I find it incredibly distracting!)

• We have musical hour often in the afternoons. I have an iTunes playlist for them which they really like (been playing the same play list since visiting them in the children's hospital in Kokshetau). Sometimes, I dance for them, sing, and clap. They, in turn, stare and smile as if seeing a circus monkey for the first time.

• The other day, I caught Brent doing an interpretive dance for the babies to the classical music on the mobile in their crib.

• We are using cloth diapers (and a diaper service). Our life now involves swirling nasty poopy diapers in the toilet before slopping them into the diaper pail. (Hey folks, I'm just trying to paint a complete picture for you!) And, I tell ya, when you open that pail toward the end of the week you just about die on the spot from noxious fume inhalation.

• I hear phantom baby cries all the time. If the kids are asleep, I'm always thinking I hear them crying. (I begin to suspect that they have begun a conspiracy they are crying but have agreed to stop right as soon as I reach the top of the stairs.) Brent, on the other hand, says he hears the catchy music from baby toys in his head all day while he is at work.

• Facebook seems to be a thing of the past for us.

• Our dogs, Tess and Abby, have now been relegated to the status of...dogs.

• Although to this point in our lives Brent has done all the cooking for us, I'm now stepping up to the plate. I am a baby-food chef. It's cool because you can hardly go wrong. At first, I poured over recipes. But now I get the hang of it. Steam, puree, mix at will. Butternut squash-cauliflower-apple is the specialty of the week. Jess and Eves like that one. Not so much, however, with the rice-spinach. Jess (who will eat whatever you put in his ravenous little mouth) actually started crying quite hard when I gave him a second bite of the spinach concoction. Thankfully, Brent--ever the culinary improvisor--takes my carefully pureed foods and mixes them to trick the little people into eating the less popular items. The spinach has been successfully mixed in with potatoes and oatmeal to make a potato-spinach-rice-oatmeal mash that was, apparently, a real hit.

So, upon reflection, I guess I'd express the change this way: it's not so much that our life is different as that we now have a different life. And a very wonderful one at that.

As far as Jess and Eves go, they are growing and changing by the day. Sometimes I feel a bit sad it's all going so fast. Evelyn now has four teeth coming in. She still does the army style crawl, but is becoming quite adept at that. Just the past few days, she's become very interested in following Jess around. Following him, involves pulling up on everything in sight. She attempts to pull herself up, but really can't do it yet. If possible, though, she'll pull him down. Jess, on the other hand, not only pulls himself up, but frequently claps for himself once he's up. Initially, that meant falling down immediately (since clapping required both hands) but he's now also learned to let himself down. Brent claims Jess can wave too, but I've not yet witnessed that. I'll keep you posted. He has two teeth coming in, and both his and Evie's hair is growing like crazy. The longer their hair gets the wavier it gets too. It's very cute. We're working with Evelyn lots on making eye contact with us (and other people too) and responding to our voices. She's definitely improving, but there's more work to do. Her personality emerges a bit more each day. It's so fun to discover her. She shows herself to be something of a wild child--for example, she loves to rock the house in her jungle jumper (see below).

So, without further ado, here are some pictures.

 

Home

I'll write more soon, but just a quick post to say we arrived home in one piece physically--but mentally fragmented into tiny bits. The flight was utter hell. Brent and I slept about 2 hours out of 26. One of our flights was delayed, so we missed the transatlantic connection. And half of our luggage is still MIA.

Since we've been home things have remained hectic as a result of the fact that (a) lots of things we'd like to have (like the formula for the twins, the power cord for my computer) is in that lost luggage, (b) our children are still on Kazakh time and so want to sleep during the day and play during the night (makes it hard to catch up on that sleep--especially since I don't like to nap and Brent has returned to work), and (c) everything is new to the twins all over again and so they are clearly overwhelmed. It's like we've started all over again with them. No schedule and no clue what they're going to want or need next. So we're back to winging it. The good news, however, is that Mom and Marv are here helping out and I now know from our first time through this that things will improve pretty quickly. We'll find our feet.

In the meantime, it is good to be home.

I'll post something proper once I get my bearings.

Strike That

Luftansa went on stike.

The stike was over almost as fast as it started, but still our flight has been cancelled. So, we're not going to be sleeping at home tomorrow night after all. Oh well, I was going on and on about how much I love Almaty right?

It looks like we'll be able to come home on Sunday on Brittish Air. So, if all goes well we'll sleep in our beds on Sunday night.

Homeward Bound

We made it to Almaty!

It was hard work, but we made it! For many of the in-country flights, passengers are required to handle their own baggage. You should have seen us! We have two ENORMOUS duffle bags, two suitcases, two carry on bags, two strollers, and two babies. It was very stressful. But thanks to the help of two small Kazakh women who jumped in and helped us (our bags were about the same size as they were!) we were able to get everything where it needed to go. In general, I've been amazed at how kind people have been as we've traveled this last leg of our journey. Our fellow passengers, for example, were very patient and accommodating. (There were about 30 people on the plane (it was the Yak 40).)) Jess felt it important to make eye contact with (and if possible, physical contact with) every single person in his vicinity. Thus, neighboring passengers were enlisted as part of his entertainment. What is more, when he treated everyone to about 4 of his brain-piercing screams folks responded fairly patiently--though it was pretty interesting to see 30 people cringe simultaneously (not kidding, here). But since (to our collective relief) these screams didn't bring down the plane, and since each performance was followed by a smile of pure joy and pride on his part, most people seemed willing to take it in stride.

We've been having such fun in Almaty. It's a bit of a shock to be back in a city again after being in the rural town of Kokeshetau for so long. And what a city it is! Gorgeous! I love it here. I could spend weeks and not tire of the sights and sounds. We have a very cute apartment that is centrally located. We've been walking all over the place. And, again, people are so nice. Lots of men have helped me take the stroller up and down stairs. Women everywhere demonstrate a great willingness to entertain the children (fan them and coo at them) while we look around the shops. They also taught us an important Russian word that we should already have known: близнецы (bleeznetsa = twins).

Since we have only a dial-up connection I can't share pictures till we get home. But, take it from me: this is a place you should visit.

Even though I wouldn't mind being here for longer, it turns out we're going be here for shorter. Our travel agent found us seats on a flight leaving tomorrow (Saturday the 2nd)! (Initially, we thought we'd be here till Tuesday the 5th.) Since our stay has been shortened, Brent has very generously allowed me lots of solo outings these last few days so that I can take in the city. (Remember, he's already seen much of it when he was here before, and one can travel much faster sans infant.) So, while we're leaving early I do feel like I've been able to see many of the sights.

I can hardly believe that tomorrow night we will be sleeping in our own house! The end of our adventure is here. What a summer we have had! As I said in one of my first posts, we left as a family of two and come back as a family of four. It will be a whole new reality when we get home.

Yep, it's the end of world as we know it...and we feel fine.

Its Alma-Ata Time!

This post will mark our last full day in Kokshetau, KZ. On the afternoon of the 29th we're going to hop back on that little Russian commuter plane for a three hour trip to Almaty (with two babies this time!). While we have enjoyed our time here, and folks have continued to be very hospitable and friendly around town, I think you've noticed from recent posts that we're feeling ready to leave. And now, the time has come.

So, in celebration, its Alma-Ata time! This is the пиво(Beer) post I'm sure you've all been waiting for.

In my estimation, Alma-Ata is the Budweiser of Kazakhstan. You can find it in every store in KZ, it's made in, and bears the Kazakh name of the old capital, the big city, Almaty (=Alma-Ata in Kazakh). It's consistently average, but always light and refreshing on a hot day, and, not least, has a tidy red and white label! Just as Budweiser (at least for the next few months before InBev takes over) is synonymous with American Beer, so is Alma Ata the quintessential Kazakh Beer.
In beer drinking habits, Kazakhs are like Americans in that, until recently, they almost universally drank one or two styles of beer. For us Americans, it's the mass-produced American Lager that rules the market. Similarly, most beer you find in the cooler at the local store in Kazakhstan is either a Pilsner (light, dry, a good amount of hop bitterness but not much aroma, pale in color) or something like a Golden Ale (deep golden, malty, a bit sweet and usually higher in alcohol content than the Pilsner).

The Pilsners we've liked the best are the ones from Karaganda Pivovarenniy Zavod (Karaganda Brewery) and from Tian Shan in Almaty. The Turkish Pilsner Efes which is also brewed in KZ is a nice one too. When it comes to the golden ales, however, Susan just says no. She isn't very excited about the flavor that more alcohol gives the beer. Among the ones in this category that I like the best are the "Traditional" and "Strong" Ales from Karaganda Brewery. Tian Shan also makes a "Strong" Ale that is good. There are lots of others in this category available in the stores, but most are imported from Europe or Russia (Amsterdam and Baltic Beverages each make a whole series of beers one can buy in most stores here, for example). Good or not, they don't count as Kazakh beers for the sake of this post, so I won't say much about those.

Along with Pilsners and Golden Ales, most Kazakh breweries make a "Temnoe" or Dark beer. These vary in consistency, but the best of them are sweeter and stronger, and taste a bit like a Scotch Ale. Overall, I liked the Dark from Karaganda Brewery the best.

The most interesting beers I've had that aren't typical Pilseners or Golden Ales are those from the Aray brewery in Lisakovsk. The "Zhletnoe" (Pilsner style but more hop bitterness and aroma) and "Barchamnoe" (dark and sweet like a Scotch Ale) are particularly good. Cool labels too.

Unfortunately, even though I have poked my head into every little market and shop with a beer sign in the window, I haven't found beers from several of the countries breweries, especially those in Pavlodar and Shymkent. I'm hoping to find a few more of these in Almaty before we leave the country.

It's not ALL about beer, of course. The reason for the trip back to Almaty, now that we have completed the legal process and the adoption is final, is to visit the US Embassy there and do a bit more paperwork that is necessary to complete Jesse and Evelyns' application for US citizenship. Apparently, when we get on the plane back to the US, we will have both their Kazakh and US passports in hand. As dual citizens they will each have two passports to travel (and impress their friends) with until they're 18.

Exactly when we will get on the plane back to the US is still in question. Because of the mysterious delay I told you about last week that kept us waiting here in Kokshetau, we had to give up our infant-friendly, carefully chosen seats on the 29th, and in exchange we now have a position on the waitlist for tickets returning home on August 2nd. So far it doesn't look promising. We've been calling Lufthansa and our travel agent on a very regular basis over the past couple weeks trying to help our cause, but we are still waiting to get seats on the Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Chicago August 2nd. So far, so amount of pleading or sad stories has helped. Anyone have friends at Lufthansa? Anyway, with luck we will get on the August 2nd flight...otherwise, we will be spending a little extra time in Almaty too! There are no open flights till August 5th.

Once we get to Almaty, we will probably have only minimal internet connection. The apartments there typically only have dial-up and I don't see us hanging out in internet cafes with two squirmy infants. So, it may be a bit quiet here on the blog front. We'll try to post something at least once before we get home though!

See you soon!

Many Faces of Jesse

He is shiny and bright. His eyes seek yours. He loves to laugh. He loves you to laugh with him. He'll laugh with you. He hates to have his face wiped, his hair towel-dried, his diaper changed. He likes peas. He likes to splash in the bath. He wants to hold the spoon. He is motion. He is sound. He bangs toys on the ground. He is in command of that pink walker. He has big hands and no teeth. He could shatter glass with his shriek. He has a bit of a jealous streak. Most nights, he resists sleep. He sucks his thumb. He flirts with ladies, stares at men. He wakes at 6:15am--but will keep himself occupied till 7. He loves kisses on his face. He pulls his left ear while drinking his bottle. Wherever we are, that’s where he wants to be. He eats like a champ. He crawls like a pro. He loves his sister, wants her toys, has won our heart.

Many Faces of Evelyn

She is serious; she’s studious; she’s focused. She is content with her own company. She laughs to herself. She peeks out of her right eye as she falls asleep. She likes to clown around, but only once she knows you. She is shy. She is coy. She has cut her first tooth. She is the easy one. She is patient. She can scream loudly if necessary. She likes to suck on our faces. She enjoys her bath. Peas make her gag. She drools constantly and profusely. She’s a goof when she starts to get tired. She loves to stand up. She is obsessed with her bib. She laughs when I bounce the bottle on her tummy. She likes stories and drinking out of a cup. She always finishes her teething cracker. She has the cutest curls, the sweetest smile, and the chunkiest thighs. Her eyes are lovely, dark, and deep. She fusses just a bit before sleep. She likes my rendition of ‘Bah, Bah, Black Sheep’. She smiles at her brother then pulls his hair. She loans him a finger to suck. She lets him take her toys. She takes his. She’s ours.

P.S. Don't worry. The 'Many Faces of Jess' issue is tomorrow.

Okay, Okay.

Now I'm ready. Now I do feel that it's time to move on.

Monday the gas went out on the stove. Not that it matters directly to me since I don't cook, but it did mean that the AMAZING dinner that Kathleen was making was interrupted part way through the cooking. (Still, it was--I repeat--AMAZING chicken Parmesan.)

Tuesday, the washer broke. The owners and Luba are making clear that they believe this to be our fault. They found 2 coins and a match stick in the lint filter and believe this broke the machine--even though the repair involved replacing the pump. Go figure. Anyhow, we are no longer allowed to do laundry. The good news is that now Luba will do it and she irons everything--including towels, sheets, and socks. So, we'll be looking good these last few days. The bad news is that she charges 500 Tenge a load (a little less than $5). And with four of us in the fam now, and this being a very small washer, that will certainly add up.
So, I'm thinking it's time.

Yesterday, we found out that the owner of the other cottage refused to get a crib for the gals over there. Angie and Renee got custody of their kids yesterday and needed a place for them to sleep. Renee's girl is a little over 2 years old and can sleep with her in the bed, but Angie's son is 10 months and needs a crib. We donated one of ours to the cause, but it certainly complicates things a bit here. A pallet on the floor won't work because both can crawl (or close enough); they can't sleep with us because our bed is only a full-sized and so barely fits the two of us comfortably--besides we're not going to lay down with them every nap; finally, they can no longer sleep together because they have gotten just a bit too big and Jess with his teething issues squirms a whole lot in his sleep and fusses off and on.

So, we pushed a chair against the wall and are using that for Evelyn.

I think she is getting used to it, but we had a very late night last night trying to get her to sleep. Every time we put her in it she couldn't sprawl out like she usually does and would wake up and start investigating the problem. Then we'd have to start the whole rocking her to sleep routine all over again.
Yup, it's time.



The kids are starting to get extremely bored with their current batch of toys (though our friends here in Kokshetau keep giving us little gifts of toys and that has really helped--thanks you all!).


This little toy (from Kathleen) cracks me up.

It drives around and the creatures sway back and forth and sing a song in Chinese, I think. It's hilarious. The twins like it too! Below are all the new toys together.

Jess, in particular, no longer wants to play with toys unless we are playing with him. Otherwise, he wants to crawl around and explore, but this isn't a completely childproof setting and he feels especially drawn to cords and to the standing fan.

Oh, and the kitchen sink keeps clogging.
Time to move on.Clearly, none of this is catastrophic--in fact, it's all pretty darn trivial--but even such minor inconveniences at this late stage in the game provide just the push I needed. I'm looking now toward home.
While we look to our departure date, it seems only right to pass these last few days in a festive way, so I've instituted a daily happy hour on the porch. It begins at 5pm. There's beer and happy hour snacks for whoever shows. On the first day it was all five of us. Evie and Jess even showed up for a cocktail of apple juice flavored water (out of a cup--very special!), and their first teething crackers. For the grown-ups it was beer and nuts.


Yesterday, it was just me and the twins. We'll see who shows up today, we bought a variety of different snacks at the store--don't yet know what they are. Stop by if you're in the neighborhood.

This picture was actually taken in the dark. They wouldn't go to sleep last night (the whole new-bed thing) so we finally just turned out the lights, put them down on the quilt with their toys, and sat quietly to wait them out. I could vaguely see them doing something, so I took a quick picture. This is what I saw today when I downloaded it and added some light. Clearly, Evie was letting Jess try out a few of her fingers.

Hard to believe with all these toys they could be bored!

P.S. Would you look at her hair?!?