February 19, 2010

Today is another nice day, but don't believe the temp on our blog. It is not that warm; the temp on our blog says 6 above. It is no where near as cold as last week, but still not warm. Last night we went to a Soviet cafe CCCP. It had really great food and had a lot of vintage TVs and radios. The soup was some of the best I have ever eaten; even Isabel ate almost her whole meal. Then we walked back through the park. It was still decorated from the holidays, so pretty with snow sparkling and the moon shining bright. It is so funny as we walk the streets of Semey, we seem a whole world away from our life in the US, all we have to think about is family time, which is wonderful. We really don’t have to worry about any thing; never again will we feel so free of the fast life we all live in. In the US, all we seem to do is rush, rush, rush to get everything done, here the pace of life is slower; some times a little too slow for me, but I am beginning to feel a little sad about thinking about coming home. Yes I cannot wait to, but I feel sad to leave here and really hope I have remembered enough, taken enough pictures, and seen enough of our son’s town of birth. I hope so, today I was just snapping pictures of everything and everybody. One day our son will treasure these memories as much as we do now.

Again Ollie was very tired. It is such a shame because when he is well rested he is so much fun, but like all of us when we are tired, we just don't want to be bothered. He is no different, but the good thing is he loves to be held, so we get plenty of snuggle time and there is always the afternoon visit to look forward to.

We went for our daily walk. Today we were able to people watch in the park, so many small children were out playing in the snow. It was nice to just watch them; something else we have noticed is how many fresh flower stores there are. There must be at least 10 in a row and all tiny, but as you walk by, you can smell the flowers and each one tries to get you to come in and buy something; not sure what they are really saying but we smile anyway.

Next we are off to the baby house, hoping Ollie has taken a good nap. When we get there he is playing in the baby walker, and when he sees us he is so happy. I wash my hands and go in the group room to get him. All the other smaller babies are crying, so after I pick Ollie up; we walk over to the play pen to say hi. All the babies stop crying and look at me and smile. One little boy who we have nicked named little Henry is lying on his back and he lifts his head off the mat so he can see me better. After a few minutes, the care givers tell me Ollie's lunch is ready, so we say bye, and as we turn to leave at least 4 start to cry. It makes me so sad because all I did was give them a little attention, something we all take for granted. I asked Victoria if any one ever volunteers, and she said a lot of Granny's would love to, but it is not allowed as it just makes it harder for the children and care givers. So sad, these babies are crying out for love and attention. Please don’t get me wrong, the care givers do a wonderful job, but these children need more. We have learned so much by just being here, so many things we all just take for granted.

Ollie always eats very well. Dominic joked that he eats more for lunch than we do, and I think he is right. Sorry to say after lunch, we could already see Ollie yawning and rubbing his eyes, so upstairs to the play room we go. Although he is already starting to fuss, we are able to get a few good photos and  are able to play for about 3o mins before he is falling asleep sitting up, so we have to take him back because they have asked us not to let him fall asleep, I can't understand how he can be so tired, oh well it is the way it is another short visit.

Next, we head to the travel agent to buy tickets back to Almaty next Saturday. The only flight is on a Yak plane. Somebody told us it makes Scat look like 1st class and it is the same cost, but we do not have a choice, this is the only airline with seats, I wonder why?????? We will let you know the answer if and when we return, Ha Ha.

The Vigale Family

Adoption Journey to Kazakhstan

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Playing with Daddy

So cute!

I'm the little brother