Here are the Monday pics

We got them to upload!

Oxana "behind bars". This is the cage that is in each courtroom for criminals.



After court, posing with our travel partners Tom and Kathy. Check out Brent's suit!! We bought it in April and when he put the pants on, they were 3" too big - yes, he's lost weight!

Posing with Nastia and Oxana outside the restaurant in Central Park.


Lunch in the park. Natasha, Nastia and Oxana.


Cam's first bath - maybe ever. He did not enjoy it!



The party at the baby house is Tuesday, so we got all the gift bags together. Thanks to everyone who helped us with the supplies for them!!

Monday Pics

Blogger isn't letting us upload pics today for some reason. Will try again tomorrow. It's 11:30 p.m. now, so we're giving up for today. We don't know when the boy will be up tomorrow (maybe as early as 6), so we should hit the sack.

Just to clarify - we were able to bring Cam back to our apt. today, but we still have a 15 day waiting period and then his birth certificate will be changed, his Kaz passport can be obtained, etc. At this point it looks like we're on schedule according to the dates we were originally given by WPA (which means we'll be home late-Aug.).

He's all ours now... well, kinda

Court went well today. At the end of the day, we were granted guardianship of Cameron, and we were able to take him home today too! Yahoo!!!!

We got to the courthouse in plenty of time - picked up by our driver (for the day) Vadeem, and at the courthouse we were joined by Oxana (interpreter), the babyhouse doctor, our attorney, and coordinator Natasha. We were shuffled from one little courtroom to a bigger one, and finally the judge arrived about 30-40 min late. Our travel partners went first, so Buff and I had to wait. We had to testify for about 30 min, and then the judge and prosecutors convened in chambers to decide and transcribe the whole thing, then return to the courtroom and give their decision.

To celebrate, we all went to the Restaurant in City Park, which was a nice place with good food. Then, (after our 2 hr. lunch) we went to the babyhouse and grabbed our boy.

Prep for Court

This morning was the last visit with Cam before court tomorrow morning. We explained that we probably wouldn't see him until the afternoon tomorrow - though we're not sure if he understood. He kind of looked at us like, "Okay, can I play now?"

So, tomorrow's the big day. Our plans for this afternoon include: re-reading the info we need for court tomorrow, making sure our clothes are ready to go, and cleaning the apartment. We were able to find bleach at the grocery, so we'll be using that on the floors, tub, etc.

At lunch today, we were told that there's a good chance that we won't be able to take custody until the waiting period is over (15 days!) because a local woman is also going to court tomorrow and she will not be taking custody. Our coordinator is going to try talking to the director to see if something can be worked out. We've got our fingers crossed, but we're no longer optimistic that we'll have him full-time until mid-Aug. : ( Very sad faces here.

We'll update tomorrow as soon as we can on our court appearance - and also what the next two weeks will be like (taking the bus to see the boy everyday or taking care of him here). Thanks to everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers! It means a lot - and unfortunately, we're not out of the woods yet.


Cam concentrating. "Why can't she just read it to me in Russian?"

Slow Saturday

We did the usual routine again today - no surprise there. We did spend more time in the room where all the babies are most of the day (when they're not sleeping) and entertained some of them. Some new ones have been moved to our room within the last few days. One little guy, Mirzhan, was allowed out of the communal playpen and got to play with Cam on the floor. He liked playing with the blocks.

Did some shopping at lunch and Brent got his hair cut (and it looks good!). Spent part of the afternoon with our travel partners and their little guy. Outside of that, not too much happening. Tomorrow is a half-day at the baby house and Monday morning at 10 a.m. (midnight on the US east coast) is court!






Brent in traditional Kazakh dress. complete with dombra.

















What's good for the gander...






Mirzhan and Cam on the floor playing.




Grayson and Cam racing to the ball.

Power to the People!

The FedEx rant yesterday must have worked because our package turned up today and we have a laptop with power! Unfortunately, the dial-up situation has not changed, so we trekked to the internet cafe for today's email and blog update. It's much less frustrating.

Other news - we're happy to report that "Cam-the-inchworm" is now "Cam-the-crawler"! Yes, he decided this afternoon that moving the right and the left knee forward was more expedient than moving the right knee and then collapsing on his belly.

Brent will be getting a haircut tomorrow in honor of our court date Monday (don't want him looking like Einstein, in spite of his brilliance) and we'll probably do some more shopping.



Uncle Kip and Uncle Jay - Look! Cam's practicing his soccer shots!








Yes, the manhole cover is still missing. However, now someone has put a big chunk of concrete in front of it so that no one drives into the hole.

FedEx Fiasco

Despite the large sum of money (and we're talking LARGE!) to send the AC Adapter via FedEx (which guaranteed delivery, BTW), they decided that maybe we were in Canada rather than Kazakhstan, so they sent our package there. Buffy's poor mom has had several conversations with the good people at FedEx and they say that they have now located our package (in Canada) and are in the process of sending it our way. Who knows? Maybe Kyrgyzstan? That sounds like Kazakhstan, right? Somehow they assigned the same tracking number to two packages. Now, the question is - how come they didn't read the address? But, we're probably being way too logical and old school.

Got some good pics today...


Cam with the goggles he wears while Brent shines the UV light up his nose.










Cam doing the breathing therapy. Again, he was quite squirmy, but singing helped calm him.








Brent caught this one mid-urp. Even caught in the act, he looks innocent.











Daddy showing Cam how to REALLY stick out your tongue.









On the swing with Mommy.

Getting Better All The Time...

Another Wednesday is here, another day closer to court. Cam is doing pretty well, although his raspy chest sounds are back. So, the doctors have him in some special therapy that we were invited to accompany him to today. It involved shining an ultraviolet light up his nose for 60 sec. while he wore some aviator goggles like out of Young Frankenstein. Then, for 5 min. he had to breathe some mysterious vapor through a 'breathing mask' connected to a smoking, whirring Mr. Science machine, which he didn't care for (to put it mildly). It was hard to watch, and while singing nursery rhymes made him calm down a bit, we were having visions of ruining him for life if he associated these most popular lullabies with these negative memories. Yikes... we hope not. We also experienced the exploding diaper - as surely most parents do eventually - and have a couple of onesies that will be getting special clean-up this evening.

Other than that, it was a great day. Afterward, on the way home we and our travel partners were taken to an artist's studio (he is the husband of one of the head doctors), to see some of his work. It was pretty good stuff, and we enjoyed looking at his pieces and talking with him a while.

Dinner last night was great! It was a VERY long walk, but good eats and a great atmosphere. We both had pasta with cream sauce - Brent's with salmon and Buffy's with chicken - and a Greek salad. Yummy!!

Halfway

As of today, we're about halfway through the trip. We left our house on 6/26 and we still plan on returning 8/23. 6 days until court and we're eager to get on to the next part - which is having the boy full-time.

Not too much to report today. Did the usual stuff and bought souvenirs and ran errands at lunch. We're having dinner tonight at an Italian-style restaurant with our travel partners and a couple from France (and their 2 kids). It will be nice to get out. We'll provide the full report tomorrow.

And our laptop cord is rumored to be somewhere between here and Almaty - so maybe tomorrow?

We are having difficulty getting pics to upload today, so stay tuned. Maybe tomorrow.

The jig is up!

We came clean on the miracle diaper rash ointment (aka the anti-fungal) today. This afternoon, the caregivers asked us if they could try some of our cream since Cameron was 100% better and many of the other kids are still suffering. So, we innocently mentioned that we tried the anti-fungal (just calling it a cream and telling them that our doctor in the US recommended it) and sure enough he was on the mend within a few days of trying it. We squirted a bunch of it into a baby food jar cap for them to use with the others. Hopefully, they'll ask us for more tomorrow and everyone can have happy pants (instead of the sad and miserable pants they have now).

Daddy made his return today as well and was greeted by a happy Cameron. He was glad to have his Dad back in action and they spent a lot of time together.

At lunch, we checked out a local art museum and photo exhibit, which was pretty cool. No pics though, they wanted to charge us 100 tenge per pic, so we opted to remember the artwork with our minds instead (or Buffy's mind at least since Brent's memory is awful!). They had both textiles and photography on display and a handful of the items were quite nice.


Yes, the kid eats that entire bowl of food - sometimes in less than 12 min.







This was the face we saw today when he decided he was full. He just wouldn't open his mouth anymore. Daddy tried all the tricks, but he was done.






A shot of the communal playpen. The kids at the other end are sitting on the potty strapped to the railings. This is the usual process after they eat - and we're guessing that Cam does this too when we're not around.

In the foreground is Julia (pronounced - Yulya) who Cam really likes being around.

On the mend - at least Daddy is

Daddy had another day of sick leave. We determined last night that he probably has a strep throat and the flu. So, more Cipro for him and a whole lot of fluids and ibuprofen. After a full night's sleep (close to 11 hours), he's feeling more like himself, but not recovered.

Cam and Mommy had a quiet day at the Baby House. He ate his breakfast fairly quickly and we played indoors. He's coming down with another cold (congested nose and chest again) and they don't want him outside. After a while we went downstairs and played on the blanket with our travel partners and their baby. The babies in our room were crying their heads off. There's quite a diaper rash outbreak (probably due to the antibiotics) and today was the day that they put the red goop on them - which apparently is very painful. It bothered Mommy so much that she interrupted Cam's play for a hug. Then, the lady who does the injections came in and we knew there'd be much more wailing, so we decided to escape downstairs.



Working on crawling. He doesn't crawl, per se, but he does an inch worm move that gets him where he's going. He especially likes standing up and bouncing.





Attacking the ball! He chased it around all morning. As soon as he was close and could touch it, it would roll away (b/c he unintentionally pushed it). There were squeals of "Come back here" - I could just tell that's what he was telling it. At long last, he conquered the ball and did his best to try to get it in his mouth to ail his aching gums. New teeth are tough. (Note: the tear on his face is not a result of unhappiness, his eyes are drippy with the cold he's got).

Random Thoughts, Questions and Observations

Since we're almost half-way, we've compiled a list that we thought we'd share with you regarding our experiences thus far.

• Why is it that we can buy any part of a cow that we'd like at a grocery store in the meat department, but the only chicken we can get is whole and frozen?
• The food brands that we recognize from the U.S. all taste different except for M&M's.
• The faucet for our tub also serves as the faucet for our sink.
• In order to have clean clothes that aren't damp, we have to plan ahead 2-3 days.
• We've been told the sulfur odor given off by the tap water is due to a chemical that's been added to make it clean (?!?!). Yeah, we don't think so...
• Why is it that the BBC World weather doesn't actually include the whole world? Temperatures in central Asia are noticeably absent. Though we could tell you what's happening in Port Moresby.
• My kingdom for a lamp! We have chandelier / overhead lighting only in the apartment.
• The boulevard in front of our apartment is being repaved for the second time since we got here. We were told that it's because the first time they did a bad job. Why doesn't that happen at home? We are also told that the Kazak president is coming on Aug 10 - ahah!
• On the other hand, if a manhole cover is missing, on the sidewalk or the street, shouldn't it be replaced so that no one goes missing?
• Cotton candy in the park is only 60 tenge (about 50 cents).
• We remove our shoes when entering the Baby House and put on socks or slippers.
• No one seems to mind if you wear / buy fur.
• Though it isn't common, we have seen some local men wearing shorts in public. There have also been many women in sleeveless shirts.
• Since there are no lines on the road, turning left can be a challenge. If someone else decides that they can do it faster than you, they just pull up along side / in front and wait. We've turned many a corner with cars on both sides of us, three abreast.
• There are many statues and busts in the parks and along the roads. Most are war heroes or literary scholars (or Stalin or Lenin, of course).
• They're in the process of building a RAM Store right next to the Tsum store - complete with skating rink and grocery. Too bad it doesn't open until the fall.
• Lots of men are carrying man bags (purses) - and they're good looking bags, too!
• Men's shoes are pointy, just like women's.
• You can get any herb you want as long as it's dill or parsley.
• No lawnmowers here (that we've seen) - and the grass reflects it.
• "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in Russian is just as annoying as the American version. Some things are universal.
• The dollar is buying fewer tenge. :(
• Many conversations can be had using gestures. The other day one of Cam's caregivers told us (we think) that we look like a good family together and that he'll need a little sister in a few years - all with gestures and the few words we each know in the other's language.
• Most everyone has been helpful to us despite the fact that A. we're American and B. we speak very little Russian. Maybe they think we're German or British?

Cam's turn

My parents keep sticking their tongues out at me... they must think I'm gullible or something if they think I'm going to do this on command like a trained seal!

Still, they seem to be simple folk, easily amused. So maybe if I mimic them just this ONE time... and that's it. Maybe if I act adorable, they won't suspect a thing; they'll never know what hit them.






Ahhhh! My teeth hurt!



Wait, what are teeth?









What's that shiny, silver thing in your hands, Mom? It beeps! I wanna play with THAT!!!











Grayson and I had a great time wrestling today. Lot's of head-butts and spit-up. What could be better?

Hopefully, Daddy will be back tomorrow!

Well, that's it for today! "Dah zahv-trah" (until tomorrow)

More Friday Pix`

This is the 'Crib Room' where Cam sleeps... there he is, peeking through the bars at Mommy! (thinking 'where have you been, for crying out loud?') There are about 12-16 cribs in this room, and visitors must be very quiet.







Cam the Man gets down with his bad self. Who knew plastic containers could be so tempting?








We caught this puppy, seeking out some shade in front of the German Cultural Center, which is on the walk we take daily to the internet cafe.

Daddy stays home, part 2

I awoke this morning to my poor husband saying, "Boy, am I hot." And sure enough he was. I got out the Cameron thermometer and he had a 101.1 fever! No baby house for you! He said he was up around 1 or 2 a.m. and was freezing to death, so I'm guessing the fever must have come down by the time I woke up this morning since he was no longer shivering. He took ibuprofen and a Cipro right away and he also drank a glass of orange juice. He reports this afternoon, that he feels much improved, though his glands are still swollen.

So, we did a mommy solo act. Cam didn't seem to mind too much, though I think he would agree that it's more fun with Daddy around. He ate well and quickly and we did some laps outside and played on the floor some more.

At lunch, Nastia and I went to try to fax the docs that the county needs for our grant. We went to an internet cafe that she thought would work. Turns out their phone line went down this morning. She asked if there were any alternatives and then we walked down the street to an office building. When we went inside, she asked the guard if he knew of any offices with a fax machine. He directed us to one on the second floor. So, we went up there and she asked one of the men there if we could use the fax machine. It sounded like he was thinking about it at first and then she mentioned that we were going to fax the US. This was followed by a big fat NYET! Fortunately, there was a man of reason to the right of the guy who said NYET and Nastia was able to convince him that it wouldn't cost anything since we'd use my Nursat card (a Kaz calling card basically). He thought about it for a minute (and she smiled at him, which helped, I'm sure) and he said okay. We did our fax and I gave the man 200 tenge for his trouble. How about that for an adventure? Go Nastia!!

The Canadian woman was successful at court yesterday so she and Stephen came and picked up his little brother this morning. Things are a lot quieter now and the only foreigners at the Baby House are our travel partners and us.

Here's to a quick recovery for Daddy!!

Street Scenes

Cleaning Day at Nezabudkah! These are all the mattresses and pillows for the cribs in Cameron's group.







The 'RTA' in Karaganda - an old Soviet-era bus. Like the curtains?







One of the many cool murals in the downtown area, celebrating industry and agriculture.






To save pedestrians from playing "Frogger" trying to cross the street, they have these underpasses under the major intersections. Here they also set up little booths that sell everything from sunglasses to underwear.





The main downtown street, in a non-rushhour lull. No lines on the streets, and it's not uncommon to see 4-5 lanes of traffic headed each direction, pedal-to-the-metal. We've seen cars hitting what seems to be 60mph through here.





The Miner's Palace, which is a symphonic hall. This is one of the blue buildings in town, which are all owned by the same entrepreneur. Donald Trump, look out!

Note the statues on top of the pediments glorifying the different segments of society.




The Uwas (Oo-wahss), very tough little 4X4 vans. They are everywhere, and I'm told they never wear out.






Typical city street scene.








How would you like to drive right into this open manhole? It's been like this for about 5 days now.