February 24, 2010

First I want to thank everyone for the kind words and wishes on my birthday. I am sure you all know what my birthday wish is. Today is again very cold, we can always tell by looking at the amount of ice on the inside of or window, even though the room is always toasty warm.

After breakfast we were waiting to leave for our visit and there was a knock at the door. I thought it was the cleaning ladies coming early, but it was Victoria with a birthday cake complete with candles and singing happy birthday; another reason to remember this special birthday in Semey. Victoria is a very special person and has made traveling around Semey so easy, she has shown us so much history of the city our son was born in and that we will never forget. A few moments later our driver appeared with white roses for me, again so sweet. As we were leaving, at least 3 of the hotel staff wished me happy birthday. So many good wishes and it is only a little before 10.00am

But soon after Dominic was taking a picture, dropped my camera, and broke the lens. So sorry Oliver's fans, there will be no more pictures until we arrive home. We do have Isabel's camera, but did not bring the cables to hook in to the computer, so you will have to wait a couple of days to get your Ollie fix!!!!

Today, one of our favorite care givers was on duty. She is always so sweet with the babies and always allows Isabel to talk and play with the babies while I am feeding Oliver. This trip has been a wonderful experience for her and we would encourage parents if at all possible to bring an older sibling. Of course, if Isabel had been older, missing school would have been a much bigger issue, also the baby house director here in Semey is wonderful about allowing siblings to visit. We have heard some regions are not as good about it, but she will remember this always and talks so fondly about her brothers first home. All around, it has been such a life changing experience for all of us in different ways. The family time is something we will cherish forever.

Oliver was on the changing table when we arrived, so I went over to say good morning and give him his morning kiss. Then I walked a few steps away to wash my hands and he started to fuss and cry. The care giver told me to come back over. When I did he stopped crying and started to smile. I feel so bad having to leave him, yes I know he will be well cared for but we will miss him. We hope the time flies by getting everything ready for his arrival home; we have a lot to do in the weeks while we wait. He was very vocal today and very playful. He must have had a really good night’s sleep. We played with the balls and sung songs, he was so happy. The time just flew by and all too soon we had to take him back. He loves to be held and just rests his head on your shoulder when he gets tired. We are told he is a very warm hearted old soul by his care givers. He really loves them; you can see his whole face light up when he sees them. For this I am so happy, he will feel love when we are gone.

Next we went to print pictures for court. This time we had Victoria with us. It was a breeze and we were all done in about 10 mins. We also went to pick up a few things for lunch from the bakery. We are going to miss this bakery. It has some of the beat pastries anywhere, so if you have a sweet tooth, this is the place for you.

We went for a drive around the city to do a little more sightseeing. Tonight Dominic, Isabel, Victoria, and I are all going out to dinner. We will try to take pictures with Isabel’s camera.

This afternoon’s visit also flew by. Tomorrow it will be 3 weeks ago that we met Ollie. How he has changed. In some ways it seems a lot longer since he was brought in to the director’s office wearing a little pink and green hat. That day is a little of a blur. We had been traveling for so long and suddenly after so much waiting there was our son. This is one day I will never forget. The smells and sounds are engraved in my memory for life, something I never want to forget. It still seems surreal that this blog is our story; our son is not somebody else's. I am reading about our son, Oliver.

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Adoption Journey to Kazakhstan

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A wishing tree you are able to tie a ribbon on it and make a wish

A gate to a court yard

Original  gates to Semey

A typical apartment building

I love my bells