Everything is exciting. Well, that is unless you've spent 4 days in a hotel room - that gets boring pretty quick. We've had time to try and figure out each other's routines, only to discover that Rylan is not really following any routine right now. Bedtime varies by 2 hours, naps during the day are fairly consistent in time, but not length of the nap, and poops, well, totally unpredictable.
Dave went out and bought us a stroller today, and we went for our first stroller walk. I don't know if Rylan's eyes blinked the entire hour and a half. He was in awe of everything. I hope the excitement lasts, because it's a nice way to spend some time. The weather here is really nice, 19 Celcius today. That's the only thing I'm not missing about home right now - snow and temperatures where you can't walk around without a jacket today.
Hopefully we'll be able to continue with the paperwork to get out of here soon. We're still waiting for an approval of the medical from London, some re-translated papers for Rylan's passport, and then receiving the actual passport. We're slowly getting there.

Life as a family

Life with Rylan has been an adventure so far. We're trying to figure out his routine. We've discovered that I'm a messy feeder - we've gone through3 outfits today. And daddy discovered that if you take too long to figure out the front vs. back of a diaper, and leave a little boy naked, he'll let loose and pee all over. It was quite entertaining.
That's been the highlight. There are more problems with translations of passports, which means I'm more stressed. We're not going to make it home on schedule - we'll be a week late.
Until then, we'll keep learning more about each other each day.

Court Day

Well, today was the big day. I hardly slept, mainly because last night our coordinator called and told us she had found a missing document. The other documents are on their way from Canada and should arrive any moment.
We had court at noon. We went into the judge's chamber, and he explained the process. Dave had to give a speech, and I had to give a speech. The Director of the Baby House read out the medical history, the Director of Guardianship and Care reviewed the documents we had signed, and reported our visitations. A representative from Vital Statistics read the information she had from the maternity house, when Rylan was given up, and how long he has been on the adoption registry. Our lawyer gave a speech as to why we should be granted the adoption. Then the prosecutor gave a speech. Everyone was in agreement with immediate expedition (immediate not meaning immediate enough for me). Since it was lunch time, we were told to return at 3:30 for the verdict. We went for lunch, then returned to the court house. In a 5 minute hearing, we were granted custody!
Little did we know, but we were able to bust Rylan out of the baby house today!!!
He was so good - didn't make a fuss at all. He was in awe during the ride back to the hotel. Everything is so new to him - his little head can't stay still - he's checking everything out. We survived a supper meal - more ended up on his face than in his mouth I think. We played, and even had a bath. I couldn't believe it. He was always sponge bathed at the baby house, and another couple at the hotel said their daughter didn't enjoy baths when they first got her. We filled up the bottom of the shower - I stood in it, Dave outside, and we sat Rylan down. He loved it! He sat so well, and didn't make a peep. He had a bottle, and settled to sleep like a pro. I don't know what we're in for tonight, but we couldn't have asked for a better start to our lives together as a family!

Pre - Court

Well, we had pre-court today. We went into the judge's office and sat with him, our translator, the baby house director and the representative from the Office of Guardianship. The judge went through the papers, asked a few questions, and set a court date for tomorrow (Thursday March 27).
We're still waiting for some documents to arrive from Canada - talk about stress! We're so ready to come home, but without these documents, the remaining paperwork will be delayed for weeks! That would not be good at all. I'll let you know how court goes tomorrow.

Happy Festivus

Happy Easter to everyone at home. Here in Kazakhstan, today is the New Year. It's a celebration of spring - where there is 12 hours of daylight. It's a big holiday, and of course, another delay for us. They go all out - decorating buildings like the University. Dave thinks everyone will get the Festivus reference from Seinfeld - I'm not so sure. We'll be having our Festivus celebration tonight. Dave says there's some wrestling involved and a big shiny pole is used. Looking forward to it!
A great big THANK YOU to everyone who posted a comment on our blog, or sent us an email. You really have no idea how much it helps us to hear from friends and family. We laughed so hard at some of the comments - it was great.
We have some news to share. We have a pre-court date - it's Wednesday March 26! It's where the judge meets with us, our coordinator, the Department of Education and the Orphanage director (and perhaps other various representatives). They ensure all of the documentation is in place, that there are no outstanding issues, then set a court date. Unfortunately, it appears that some of the required documentation may not arrive in time, and one item may not arrive at all. This would mean more delays! So please pray for us that all of the required papers will arrive, and in time for pre-court this week!
If all goes well, we may be able to post pictures of Rylan next weekend!
Since the Top 10 list appears to have been a success, we're working on other blog entries to try and match the popularity of that one. Any suggestions?

Top 10 Things We Miss About Home

It would appear that the popularity of the blog is dwindling now that you know about Rylan. Comments are down, and drastic measures had to be taken. I have been forced to try my comedy routine to get a response from somebody. Anybody.

Since we're been immersed in a new culture, in a new country for so long now, we thought it was time to share our thoughts on the things we miss most about home.

Number 10 - The Young and the Restless

I wonder what old Jack is doing? Are Nick and Phyllis still together? And what about that darn Victor - what's he up to these days? We only have 3 English stations on television, and our choices are limited - Discovery channel (American Chopper and Mythbusters - repeated all day and night), BBC (but no Coronation Street), and the Hallmark Channel (all sap, all the time).

Number 9 - Shoveling Snow

I know - it's sick. But it snowed here last week - a lot. The city crews are out every day shoveling the sidewalks and streets by hand, and moving snow around so it will melt faster. Every day we go for a walk, and I feel like those workers are taunting me with their shovels...

Number 8 - Having Stuff To Do

Aside from our routine visit with Rylan, our days are, well, often boring. At home there is always something to clean, something to fix, and just something to do. Here, after our daily walk to the market, we eat. Then we wonder what we can do all evening. Sometimes we read, watch shows on the IPOD, or play Yatzee or cards. Often we just pass the time staring lovingly into each other's eyes.

Number 7 - Children's Clothing That Makes Sense

They don't have clothes labeled with sizes here - it's a guessing game. And to make it more interesting, the items are one of a kind - if you see it hanging, and it's not the right size, you're out of luck. No checking the rack for a larger or smaller one.

Number 6 - Understanding The Language

We don't understand what people say to us. I think I've been complimented on my charade playing skills while shopping many times - either that, or they called me an idiot. And reading menus written in Russian - always a gamble, even with our dictionary.

Number 5 - A Clothes Dryer

The towel warmer in the bathroom is better than the clothesline across the shower, but it just isn't the same. Our socks and underwear will never be the same. And just try fitting a pair of wet jeans on that towel rack - someone is going to break it before we get out of here!

Number 4 - Reliable Phone Lines and Internet Service

Need we say more? It never fails - the internet never works when we have important things to check. Where else can the entire city lose internet service at the same time (yes - it happened here).

Number 3 - Real Food

We miss real food. It's not that they don't have food here, but it's different. I miss fresh bread - even in the restaurants it's always day old - never fresh. They don't have crackers - who doesn't have Ritz crackers? I haven't had milk since we got here (but we eat a lot of cheese and yogurt every day for calcium). Dave misses beef (you can never really be sure what type of meat you're eating), peanut butter, jam and real coffee (not that instant stuff).

Number 2 - COSTCO

I must admit - I was tempted to put this as Number 1. I miss wandering around the store, seeing what's new from when I was last there (2 days earlier). I miss buying things in bulk. I miss the greeters at the door. I miss the sound my credit card makes as they swipe it at the cashier... Dave says the store's profits must be down since I've been away. He is also sure my picture has been posted as a "missing person" at the store entrance.

and the Number 1 Thing We Miss About Home...

Our family and friends!

It's true that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. We are so blessed to have such unconditional support and love. We can't wait until we can see everyone again.

One month done....

Since we had a free day on Thursday, we decided to check out the museum. For a mere 100 tenge each (84 cents), we bought our admission tickets and walked around. It is a beautiful building - and although we couldn't read anything, looking at the artifacts was nice. We had to laugh - there was always someone turning on the lights for us when we entered a room, and then they would turn off the lights when we left. And talk about a small world - the only other couple in the museum happened to be another adoptive family that we had met through our blog - and they recognized us from our picture. It was an interesting way to spend some time.
As for an update on our progress - the medical has been completed, and now needs to be approved in London England. We have received provincial approval, and completed our mandatory visitations. Some other documents have been sent to Astana for registration. This coming week, we need all of the necessary paperwork to end up where it needs to be, in order for our coordinator to apply for a court date. Since this coming Friday is a holiday I believe, I'm not holding my breath that it will occur until the following week.
Rylan is adorable - I love his giggle. He thinks Dave's eyebrows are the funniest things - and he doesn't like to let Dave out of sight for long. Dave and Rylan seem to have the same sense of humor - they laugh at wrestling with a rainbow colored stuffed heghog, burps, farts etc. I'm already sensing a power shift once we get home - me vs. the boys. I just hope once we get custody of Rylan that we can learn to coordinate the afternoon nap time (Dave naps at 4pm, but Rylan sleeps at 2pm).

Slow but steady progress...

Tenge is the local currency here. Right now, 100 tenge is equivalent to approximately .86 cents Canadian. To make it easier when shopping, we just move the decimal over 2 spots, and know that we're getting an even better deal than face value. Fruit is very expensive, there is not much in terms of vegetables to buy, but vodka is cheap. If you're looking for name brands from North America in toiletries or clothes, it's expensive. English on labels is very rare, so we try and recognize packaging to figure out what we're getting.

I can't believe we've been at this hotel for 3 weeks now. At times, it seems we just got here. At other times, it feels like we've been away forever. Thank goodness for webcams, phones (even though the reception isn't always great), and even the fussy internet service. It's always so great to hear from family and friends.
We are making slow progress here. We've received provincial approval for the adoption, and today the Canadian designated physician is doing Rylan's medical exam. Every time I can cross something off of my list, I can get a little more excited. There's still a lot of paperwork and red tape to go through, so we've accepted that we're probably here another month yet. Although never give up hope - maybe things will move smoothly now - because we sure had our share of delays to get to this point!

Since I can't post pictures of Rylan, I'll continue posting pictures of the city. The first two pictures are taken on the way to the Atrium, which is a mall that we go to almost every day. The last picture is of the market store that is around the corner from the hotel. It has food items on the main floor, and the second level sells toiletries, baby clothes and toys. Each little area is a separate "store", and you have to pay for that item before moving on to the next area.
Dave does the talking for us - his Russian always impresses our driver Alexander (who speaks very limited English). Every morning Dave tries out a new phrase, and Alex gets so excited with his pronunciation - I, on the other hand, have mastered the word bye "paka", and that's about it.

So, Paka Paka for now!

More sights of Uralsk

The pictures are of: West Kazakhstan State University, The Ostrovsky Drama Theatre, The Regional Philarmonic Hall and The Regional Historic Museum.

Unfortunately there has more waiting. Rylan caught the cold that's been going around his baby house, so we weren't allowed to visit him this weekend. It's been hard - I just want to hold him and comfort him, but we had to let him rest. I haven't been able to smother him with lipstick kisses, so I've turned my attention to Dave (don't want him to feel neglected now that there's another little man in my life). We've spent hours walking around, and taking pictures of the sights, since there's not much else to do. We've been brave and tried a new restaurant, and actually had a really good meal. Hopefully we can resume our normal visitation schedule soon.

Week one of visitations complete

It was a beautiful day here in Uralsk today, as you can see. The snow from the other day was gone within a few hours. The first picture is in front of the Pushkin hotel. The other pictures are the Department of Education building - where we had our first meeting with the officials before we met Rylan. It's almost 7 pm, and still sunny and 4 degrees. I saw at home the overnight lows were -30 again. We're sorry, but we don't miss that.
We've made it through the first official week of visitations at the baby house, and time has flown by for us. It's certainly the highlight of our day! Rylan makes us smile every day with a new expression or look. Today we saw him roll over by himself (we were told he did this, but it's the first time we saw it). Dave's a natural with him - I love watching the two of them together. Soon we'll be able to post pictures, and do we ever have a collection of pictures ready!

It snowed today - so much for laughing at everyone at home. It's still mild though - around 0 degrees, and it's melting already. We saw Rylan today - and his new trick is sticking out his tongue and trying to blow. It's quite funny to watch, but makes for more drooling than usual. His shirts remind me of Dave after he's eaten something - full of stains. (Dave's not laughing at my joke). How I wish I could post pictures! I'll ask the coordinator tomorrow if I'm allowed to even post pictures of the room we visit in or not. It's hard to believe that tomorrow will only be a week since Rylan came into our lives - it feels like we've loved him forever already.

Uralsk Fire Brigade

Unfortunately we couldn't visit with Rylan today - he had to go for the mandatory tests required for the Canadian medical, and the time was during our visitation. We were upset that we couldn't see him, but we are making progress with some of the paperwork, so it's work it. We went to the outdoor market and bought Rylan a snowsuit for $13.00. We can't leave the baby house without one - even though it will be April when we go! Along the way, we saw the firetrucks pulled out for the mandatory morning wash down. Not quite like at home - we haven't seen a fire hydrant anywhere. Yesterday's visit with Rylan was nice - he just wanted to be held and walked. He snuggled up under my neck and it felt so good! We had dinner at the hotel restaurant for our anniversary - what an amazing gift we've been given. We can't wait until tomorrow's visit!

A day of firsts...

Ah, the joy we get from witnessing the little things. We had a great visit with Rylan today. We gave him a bottle, then heard his first loud burp (then a second and third), and unexpectedly caught our first witnessed puke on video. The excitement never ends! He loves to be held high in the air by Dave, and still giggles a lot. We went shopping and bought a couple of things, but need to get more. They like to keep the babies very warm, so we were asked to get a sweater and hat to wear indoors. We were adventurous, and went to a restaurant for supper tonight that had a menu only in Russian. We were able to figure out how to order a dish with chicken - good thing we brought that phrase book/dictionary. Who knows what we'll try next?

Day 2 of the bonding period...

We had our second visit with Rylan today. It melts my heart the way he gives us such a hugh smile when he is brought into the room. We brought in some juice in a bottle and were able to feed him some today - it felt so nice! I can't get over how much they bundle the children here. I took a peek at how big he really is, and took off three layers of clothing to get to some skin! He also had a hat on today - to cover his bald head. Apparently it is common practice to shave the hair off of the babies to make it easier for the caregivers to keep them clean. Now that his hair's starting to grow, it feels like soft stubble - don't worry Rylan, we'll let you grow your hair as long as you like when we get home (well, within reason). Based on the emails we've been getting from family and friends, Rylan already has a very busy social calendar when we get home - play dates and pool parties - book your time with him now!