Visit Day 2: A Mild Saturday in Kokshetau

A good sign that we're settling in here: for the first time since we arrived I was awakened by the alarm clock on the bedside table rather than the one in my suprachiasmatic nucleus. We had just enough time to Skype with my sister Lisa and her girls Allie and Claire before we had to get ready and go over to visit the twins.

I had the dubious honor (all parents everywhere will be laughing at me) to change a truly shocking diaper when we arrived (thanks to Jesse). Live and learn: next time, I'll change Evie. Jesse and Evelyn were in good form today, very happy and playful. The crinkly butterfly was a big hit with both of them, but Evie always had her doll close at hand.

It is really wonderful to watch how these little people respond to new things in their lives, especially us. Over the last few days, Jess has calmed down as he feels more comfortable with us, although he is still the most overtly expressive. Meanwhile, Evie has become less reserved and quiet--she even had a few things to say today (in baby language of course).
Now that we are on a regular schedule, visiting each morning at the same time, we should be able to establish some comfortable patterns with them that they can count on, hopefully giving them some stability in the midst of all these new people, toys, and experiences coming into their lives.
We had lots of playtime, and in the midst of it were able to get a better sense of where these two are in their development. They are not quite hitting seven month milestones yet...but they're catching up fast! Both Jess and Evie can roll onto their stomach and back, can push themselves up, and can mostly hold their heads steady. They don't yet have the strength or balance to sit upright without help, or bear weight on their legs. Lots of milestones we can share with them in days to come.

Once they were both played out, they had their favorite lunch: warm kefir in a bottle. I haven't seen what else is on the menu at this place, but both of them always order the kefir.










Susan fed Jesse, who tried to put his favorite thumb in along with the bottle, and I gave Evelyn her lunch, which she enjoyed along with her two middle fingers, until she realized she could get more suction with the bottle alone.

Both of them go through a bottle in nothing flat, which means they'll be right at home in the Brower-Toland household!

After playtime and lunch, it seemed like the perfect time for a nap.

Seeing my opportunity, I used the moment to practice clipping baby nails, a much easier task on tiny fingers of a sleeping baby than on a waking squirmy baby. Imagine how surprised they'll be when they wake up and find themselves with a manicure!












While the afterglow of our visit is wearing off we're turning now toward a nice Saturday night here at the cottage. A home-cooked meal and a movie later on--Casino Royale.

Day 1 of visitation

Hello all! We're behind in posting today...Don't know where the time goes exactly.

Our day started out a bit crazily because we found out at the last minute that we had to meet the Minister of Education for a brief interview before the visitation period could officially begin. We had only a few minutes notice so had to gather our thoughts quickly.

It was an interesting meeting. Needless to say, we were nervous. He was a very serious, no-nonsense guy, but at bottom he was friendly. He asked (via interpreter) all kinds of questions ranging from, what do we do for a living, to why we want to adopt, to the price of beef in the US, to whether our part of the country is much like the terrain in Kokshetau. In the end, I have to say, I rather enjoyed this meeting. It seems clear to me that he is very concerned about the welfare of these children and so interested in trying to get a sense for the people (and the their lifestyle) who come to adopt. It's neat that he meets one-on-one with every single family that comes here to adopt.

Today was, then, the first day of our 14 day visitation period. We were taken to the room that we'll use for the rest of our time here (I think). Evelyn was brought first again. A quiet, calm presence again, but more engaged and while she was not 'smiley', she seemed to be happy to see us (ask me how I know this if she didn't smile or coo? I dunno, I could just tell...). About five minutes later we could hear Jess coming from down the hall, nurse laughing Jess laughing. That little guy was pretty wound up by the time he got in there! I wasn't sure the nurse would hand him over!

Here are some snapshots from the visit. You know, it's kind of hard to get lots of good, carefully thought out pictures when each of us are holding a baby! This is what we managed:

Jess gets a massage!

Chubby Lunkins!

Sleeping Beauties.











This was supposed to be a family shot, but you can't see Evelyn!

Introducing...

Evelyn Raisa

Jesse Nikita

A big day in the history of the Brower-Toland Family!

Brent's Reflections: You might have thought that my FIRST thought when we finally saw the twins in person today was "what beautiful babies, I can't believe this is happening"! But, in fact, that was my second thought. The first one was "what a relief: we came to this place on the other side of the world to see them and they're actually here!" Also, I'd like to add with all the bias you might expect, they're actually even cuter than these pictures could portray, full of personality and life! I'm sure that the days and weeks to come will add all manner of fullness to my thoughts and feelings about these little ones, but what a wonderful experience to spend time with them today. They are trusting little souls and warmed up to us in the short time we spent with them (Evelyn more slowly than Jesse). How can a person fail to be grateful for such little hearts? More details to come, you can be sure, but for now its enough that they're here.

Susan's Reflections: What a day!! Where to begin???

Maybe I'll just tell you about the meeting itself and about these little people whose personalities already shine through. The meeting took place in the head nurse's office. (The hospital was really busy today and apparently the room we'll be using for our visitation period with them wasn't yet ready.) Dr. Natalya (the director of the maternity ward) showed us to a room and asked us to wait while they went to get the babies. I thought I just might die from anticipation...

First, they brought in the beautiful and solemn Raisa ('Evelyn') and handed her to Brent saying "daddy's girl". She looked soooo tiny--like a miniature of the baby I was expecting. She settled calmly into Brent's arms. Very quiet and very serious. Next they brought in Nikita ('Jesse')--little Mr. Personality. The nurses immediately informed us that he is the more social of the two and "loves the ladies". They handed him to me and within 30 seconds he gave me a great big smile and continued to share the love for the rest of our time together. A real charmer.

We got to spend about and hour and a half with them. Boy did the time fly! We kept taking turns with them--handing the babies back and forth between us. About halfway through the meeting, they brought us bottles so that we could feed them. I think it's kefir (like thin plain yogurt) with some cereal in it(?). Thick stuff, but they polished it off in no time.

Jesse was in motion constantly, kicking, moving, eventually even cooing a bit. He smiles easily and constantly--a busy social butterfly. He keeps trying to sit up (from laying flat) but only manages to pull himself up about an inch. I'm trying to explain that he needs to start by rolling over... He's a little on the thin side, and a little stiff (though he seemed to relax and loosen up just during that hour). But as alert, as busy, as engaged, and as chipper as a boy could be.

Evelyn, on the other hand, was very quiet, serious, and a bit withdrawn--no smiles. Though she clearly likes to be held (even fell asleep in my arms at one point--so sweet) she also definitely avoided eye contact for the first hour or so. During the last part of our visit, I really wanted to see if I could get her to look a little more at me and maybe even coax a smile out of her. The turning point seemed to be the doll that I brought (one that mom bought us--thanks meemaw!). The doll was a hit. At first, I was worried about her paying more attention to the doll than to me (imagine me feeling jealous of a doll!). But the doll seemed to bring her out of her shell, she really perked up and payed attention--seemed to get more engaged. Pretty soon the doll fell to the side and I got her to look at me by blowing on and kissing her hands. She even smiled a tiny, coy smile. Can't wait to work on her more tomorrow.

By the end of the visit Jesse had worn himself out and began to doze off. The nurse came to take them back to their room, but only after we assured the twins that we would coming back again (and again and again) soon. Can't wait till tomorrow. We'll spend 2 hours (11:30-1:30) daily with them. Wish it could be more, but we'll take what we can get!I'll close with some more pictures.

Sweetest, snuggliest, beautiful baby girl.

The doll of which I spoke...

Our handsome baby boy.

Be still my beating heart. 

The Ultimate Blind Date

As most of you are just getting started w/ your work day Brent and I are turning in for the night. Tomorrow is the big day. I was chatting on Facebook today with a friend (isn't the internet amazing!?!) and she described the meeting as "the ultimate blind date". I liked that. I'm more nervous and more excited than I've ever been for any date I've ever been on though. And I'm not thinking one bit about what to wear. I did, however, take some care over picking out what toys to bring.

Stay tuned folks. You just might see some pictures tomorrow. And if you're the prayin' sort send some of them our way.

Happy Birthday to Brent

Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy Birthday my dear husband, happy birthday to you!

Brent on the town in Kokshetau on his 43rd birthday.

This is some kind of monument, but we've not learned what it is yet.

And next we have Brent carrying his birthday cake home from a nearby store. It looked good, we'll tell you how it tastes once we've tried it! (By the way: the white building in the background is our "cottage".)

Kokshetau, KZ

Kokshetau Airport

We took a flight from Almaty to Kokshetau this morning. The plane was a late 1960s vintage Yak-40! We carried all our own luggage on board and stacked it in the back of the plane. We sat in odd seats that looked like those found in an old Volkswagon bug (no neck support). The flight was a little bumpy but not as scary as I expected. In fact, they served better food than on most American flights these days! We got apple juice and some kind of yummy coconut cakes.

From the air, this region looks a lot like Wyoming, really. On the ground, its not so much like Wyoming: block after block, Soviet-style apartments line the roads. There are also huge, above-ground heating pipes snaking between them, and lots of old military trucks. The people on the sidewalks don't look like folks from Wyoming either! (pics to come)

The place where we're staying (called "the cottage") is a nice two family flat with plenty of space (2 levels: 2 bed rooms, 2 bathrooms, a study, a living room, and an eat-in kitchen). Most importantly, the place has a good wireless connection. Many blog entries with nice color pics to come! The cottage is really conveniently located. We have several food stores within a few blocks and have already been out to buy our favorite meal in a pinch: bread, cheese and beer. We'll have to come up with some healthier food options tomorrow when we're less jet-lagged. There is another american family here that we're sharing the place with. It's been nice to have them here to show us the ropes.
All in all the accomodations are terrific! We couldn't ask for better.

So far, the only thing that is slightly less than optimal is that we still have a two-day wait (till Thursday) before we meet the babies. First, we have to have a meeting with the local official who oversees these kinds of things, but we can't do that till Thursday. This gives us plenty of time to get settled and rested, however, so it's no big deal. And meanwhile, the babies are now only a few blocks away rather than half a world!

Our first day in KZ (by Brent)

View from our apartment

We woke up to a very pleasant morning in Almaty, Kazakhstan. After a relaxing breakfast of Cliff Bars and instant coffee (mmmmmm), our driver Gulnara, picked us up and took us to the agency office downtown where we did preliminary paperwork and reviewed the process from here on out.

Lunch at a Kaz food court.
(Yes, that is an iceskating rink
 in the background!)

Afterwards, before we came back to the apartment we did some grocery shopping in a mall nearby and ate at a Greek place in the food court. Now we’re back at a little internet café near our apartment building, making a few entries on the blog and checking email before we fall asleep on our feet (not quite adjusted to the 11 hour difference here on the other side of the world).

Although we are doing surprisingly familiar things like eating at food courts and emailing at internet cafes, there is really no question that we are not in Missouri anymore. Food items cost hundreds of the local denomination (Tenge), which takes getting used to; people mostly expect Russian to come out of our mouths when we speak; and there are onion shaped domes atop some of the apartment buildings. 

I pulled out a map when we were landing here and reminded myself, too, that I am now staying in a place which is far closer to Kabul, Afghanistan than St. Louis is to New York City. It really is the other side of the world. So far, a very good adventure.

And the adventure has just begun: at our meeting this morning the agency informed us that we will be hopping on a plane to Kokshetau, KZ bright and early tomorrow morning. This is the city where we will spend most of our time, and where the facility we will be visiting daily is located. After a meeting with the doctor in charge of the children and another with the local governing body that oversees child welfare, we will be able to start spending time with our children!

Next stop, Kokshetau. See you there.

Alive in Almaty!

We’ve arrived in Kazakhstan! 

We had a really nice, really comfortable trip from Frankfurt to Almaty. This time we were on Lufthansa and could feel the difference immediately. Warm cloths for our hands as soon as we were seated followed by a scotch and soda for Brent, Coke “light” for me. Very nice flight crew. Hot tortellini for dinner. Danke schön!

We were going to try to stay awake the whole of the flight so that we’d be ready to sleep by the time we got to Almaty (about midnight Kaz time, but 1pm in the afternoon at home). No way that was going to happen. So, we revised that plan and allowed ourselves a couple of hours of shut-eye, but still managed to stay awake the majority of the time.

(Almaty airport from plane)

We touched down in Almaty right on time. (Almaty, by the way, means roughly, “apple-ness”—‘Alma’ means ‘apple’—this region is the origin of the apple). We, along with Lisa and Todd, proceeded through immigration and baggage claim without hitch. All our bags arrived (yay!) and our contact person—Gulnara—was right there to meet us. It turns out that Gulnara studied English for a short time at the University of Arizona in Tucson (my alma mater)--small world eh? Anyhow, she took us to our apartment, which is quite nice. We’ll be staying for the next two days before we head off to Kokshetau.

We were able to fall asleep right away and slept through the night. I slept soundly, but I think Brent was a bit more restless. Anyhow ,we’re safe, sound, happy, and comfortable in Almaty

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Almost there!

Halfway there...

So.... that wasn't pleasant.

Just got off the plane here at Frankfurt and are now waiting for the leg to Almaty. Glad to be off that plane!

(Same outfit different day, different country. Blogging in Frankfurt.)

Although we're flying Lufthansa, we were on a United plane for that first part of the trip. Let's just say that United is NOT Lufthansa. Uggggghhhh. We were on an old old United 747. It's not at all clear to me that plane should still be in the fleet. We were packed in like a herd of human cattle--very small amount of space for such a long flight! Not only that but Brent and I landed middle seats in the second to back row (61). And the flight was packed! Not an empty seat in the place. In order to make a little more room for myself I took the magazines out of the seat pocket in front of me and was glad for the 1/2 inch that afforded me.

The plane, which was scheduled to leave at 6:30pm, left nearer to 8pm. Dinner reached the back rows of the plane at about 10:45pm. They ran out of hot dinners so handed me a stone-cold plate of pasta. I'm guessing they thought maybe I wouldn't notice. When I reported that my meal was cold I was informed that I could wait 30 minutes while they heated it up or I could just eat it cold. 

I waited.

The guy next to me took a dose and a half of sedative (he showed it to me proudly right before he took it on the runway). He was out cold for the entire trip. Not necessarily a bad thing except the medication seemed to induce some kind of muscle spasms in the guy. He flopped around like a fish about once every 45 seconds the entire time. He seemed to be trying to rub his nose with his elbow... It was weird and not a little disconcerting. There were several points at which I was even tempted to tell the flight attendants that he had OD'ed.

The *single* screen on which the movie was projected was at row 40 (some twenty rows ahead of us) and seemed to be broken--out of focus and in black and white. Ah well. I wasn't interested in watching National Treasure II anyhow.

At about 11:30, after being served a barely warm pasta, we tried to sleep. Aside from being awakened by the occasional kick from the flopping fish next to me I managed to stay asleep for the remaining 4 hours of the flight.

The upside of all this is that we're halfway now. And what's even more cool is that as we were getting off the plane we heard the couple sitting right in front of us explain to their seat mate that they were going to Kazakstan to adopt a child! So we've made some new friends--Lisa and Todd from Kentucky! We're sitting with them here at the airport in Frankfurt chatting with them and waiting for our flight to Almaty, which will be about a 6 hour flight.

Here we go....

So, here we are hanging out at the Chicago O'Hare Airport waiting for our flight to Frankfurt.

(See me in the picture over there--next to the red bag--writing this very post?)

It's been a wild and crazy week trying to get everything together. In the end we fit everything into three checked bags (each weighing 44 lbs) plus carry-ons. We feel pretty proud of ourselves since technically we're allowed four checked bags of 50 lbs). Now, we won't have to pay any baggage fees even when we get to Kazakhstan! (The weight limit in Europe and Asia is 44lbs per bag.) Even so, I'm pretty sure we packed more than we need!

Here we are with our beautiful array of bags (looking a tad bedraggled).



Oh! Oh! Gotta go, they're calling us to board!

YeeeeHawwww!

A Lovely Send-Off

On Sunday, our community at St. John's gave us a really lovely sending-off. In addition to prayers and blessings for our travel, the Church hosted a luncheon and shower. Brent's mom (Linda) and sis (Lisa) were in town this weekend (for Brent's graduation). How wonderful to have them with us!

Here are a few snapshots from the shower.

   

 
These are quilts that Linda made for the babies. She really had to hustle to make a second quilt after the announcement that there would be a grandson too!

Needless to say, we're grateful for everyone at St. John's. We'll miss you these next few months!