The Boccini Family

The Boccini Family

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October 31, 2008

Bonding Day 11

Happy Halloween, everyone!!! As I write this blog post, I can imagine all the children, who are just itching to get into their costumes and go treat or treating. I loved Halloween as a child – O.K., I still do – and I’m disappointed that I can’t be home to see all the ghosts and goblins (and to eat any leftover candy). As you may guess, Halloween is not really celebrated here, though people have heard of it.

This morning I tried out a new Halloween bib on Emilia. It was much bigger than the other bibs, almost to her ankles, and it was made of plastic, so I expected that it would keep her clean during our morning feeding. Nope! My little girl will always find a way to get porridge somewhere it’s not supposed to be. Emilia was actually quite taken with the bib. Because it was plastic, it made a crunchy noise when she grabbed on to it. “Oh, a new toy!” she thought. Then it was in her mouth.

Today I decided to venture out for another walk, but this time I had a destination in mind. I wanted to go to Pizza Hot for lunch. As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I have spent each day eating lunch in my room, and I thought it was high time I did something a bit more colorful.

Since Pizza Hot is next to the Russian Orthodox Church, I decided to pop in there before lunch. I had visited briefly once before, but it was during services, so I didn’t have a chance to really appreciate it. I was absolutely taken by the church’s interior and immediately felt at peace. I have greatly missed going to mass on Sundays, and the Russian Orthodox Church is the closest thing that comes to Catholicism in Kaz. The sanctuary was filled with paintings of Jesus, Mary and the saints and had a lovely afternoon light filtering in through the windows. I lit a candle and said a fervent prayer of thanksgiving. I believe the Lord has truly watched over me on this trip, and I am so grateful to be blessed with my beautiful daughter. I have waited for so long for a healthy baby girl, and God heard my prayers and answered them. Allelulia!

Although Pizza Hot was located next door to the Church, it was like entering another dimension. I went from the solitude and peace of the chapel to the hustle and bustle of a popular pizza joint with a video screen. I managed to order – pizza, of course – and relaxed for awhile. I really had fun watching the MTV-like videos in Kazakh and Russian. Although I couldn’t understand the words, I could certainly follow the storylines. It was a hoot.

When I returned to the hotel, I was delighted to meet another single American woman, who is adopting a baby boy. Katie is from Ohio and has only been here a few days. I am so glad to have her join my group of adoption friends.

This afternoon I discovered that Emilia was so hungry that she had her bottle before I arrived. Yes, this girl can eat! So, we had the whole hour to play. Throughout our time together, Em was yawning and rubbing her eyes; however, she refused to sleep. It turns out she is just like I was as a child -- she won’t go to bed because she’s afraid she’ll miss out on something. She wants to be in the know!

Tonight I went to a Lebanese feast at the Pushkin. However, since it is quite late here in Kaz, I will keep this savory tale until tomorrow.