Day 2 at the Babyhouse

Sorry it has taken me so long to post to the blog. We have not had the best of communication situations, but are finally “connected” at the internet café in Karaganda.


I’ll start at the very beginning, Chris and Bibi dropped us at the airport and we said our goodbyes. Dave picked up the coats and rolled the luggage into the airport. As we got in line at Lufthansa, Dave said, “Where is your coat?” – yes, he had dropped my coat in the 100 steps we took in the airport. So he ran back to check, no luck. I was NOT happy. After checking in (we weren’t speaking at this point) we decided to go to lost and found. The nice security officer that we had previously asked about the coat said she had found it – outside the doors and turned it in. She walked us to lost and found, crisis averted.

We made it through the long flights, Atlanta to Frankfurt then Frankfurt to Almaty. The flight arrived at 11:55pm, so we were sleep deprived and a bit disoriented. Good old Sasha the driver was there with our names on a sign. Almaty looked different than the last time (since it was not covered in snow), but very familiar at the same time. The weather was cool, but pleasant. We met with the adoption agency – the “sisters” as they are called. They are actual sisters – three of them, one a lawyer, one a doctor and one an accountant. They are thorough and consistent – nothing was unexpected. Funny that they are tolerant of the fact that we are spoiled Americans and aware that this is a very difficult trip for us. After a trip to the mall for lunch and a stop at the Ramstore for a few groceries, we went back to the apartment for some sleep.

Our flight from Almaty to Karaganda was to depart at 7:10am, so Sasha was picking us up at 5:15am. I’ll skip the details, but at about 2am, I woke with a horrible stomachache. Hours of projectile vomiting ensued, and I was afraid I would not be able to make the flight. We trudged out to the airport and poor Dave had to manage all three heavy bags of luggage and our two backpacks. All I could manage to carry was the bag up to my mouth – lovely, huh? I was truly too weak to stand and kept having to sit with my head between my legs. The two hour flight to Karaganda was not as bad as expected, though I think I was in and out of consciousness, so I don’t remember much.

We arrived on time at around 9:15am and were met by familiar faces, Julia the interpreter and Vadim the driver (he is the husband of our coordinator, Natasha). We went straight to the babyhouse to see our boy. He was very serious at first, and very quiet. He had to give us the once over to see what we were all about. He is adorable and we were so glad to finally meet him! There were several other adoptive parents in the room – two of which were here the last time we were, what are the odds. We knew that a girl named Kim was going to be here, she adopted a girl the last time we were here. There was also a French couple that was here during our first visit and they were back to adopt another baby as well – small world.

We got to visit with Will (oh – we will name him William David and call him Will) and even take him outside. He is eight months old and seems very healthy. We met with the doctor and she went over his medical background, which is fortunately, uneventful. She did say he has sensitive skin, no problem as Katie does too, so we are full of unscented products. At noon, it was time for the babies to sleep, so we took Will into his crib. He cried very briefly, but seemed tired after a busy morning. Julia and Vadim took us to the grocery for a few necessities, then to our apartment. It is fine and we will make it home for the next few weeks. No internet connection from the apartment, not even dial-up, so I will post as often as I can from the internet café. Bye for now!

PS – HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandpa Basinger!