There is a lot to cover (44 Photos - a record for this blog!), so let's dive right in.

(hi this is Steve again adding a bit here at the top a few days after I put this post together for it occurred to me a few moments ago that somewhere in the last several days we passed that magical point wherein Tougy has spent more days knowing us than she spent without us. Yes that's right, our days together now represent the majority of her life, and with each passing day, that ratio grows. We now rejoin our post already in progress!)

Our little adventurer has been quite busy of late having spent Memorial Day Weekend in Arizona both attending a friends wedding in Sedona and visiting with her Astana Baby House mate Rylie and her parents Adam and Sara.

We will begin with the wedding.

For any of you out on the western side of things, you know that there was a wet and cold spell over the weekend. Who would have thought that we would show up in Phoenix in late May and have rain and highs in the low 60's? Not me! The upside is that the desert really comes alive after a good rain.

We spent Thursday night in Phoenix, Friday through Monday morning in Sedona, and then back to Phoenix Monday afternoon to spend time with Rylie and then fly home Tuesday. Tougy did exceptionally well with both the long flights and the time change. Fortunately we were able to have an extra seat on both of our Southwest flights - how surprising that given the opportunity to sit anywhere, no one chose to sit next to parents with a one year old in their lap!



She may be a 'moon' baby in name, but she is a water baby in action. Her fearless nature gets routinely tested on land, water, and air, and as yet we have not seen an upper limit.



Taking a brief break to acknowledge Dad - yes that is her newest sign language gesture used both for mom and for dad. It is so great to walk into view and have her shriek with delight and sign daddy. It surely makes my heart light up.



Did I mention fearless?



I'm not sure how much higher she would have liked to go, but I know KJ and Rob were not even close.



And of course every time she landed she was quick to sign more. Tireless I assure you.



When the adults had had enough of throwing Tougy, she was quick to find another game - blowing bubbles.



Speaking of new games, among her newest is climbing up and into her stroller. Why this so fulfilled her I do not know, though we were happy she found so much joy in something that could easily be done within the confines of a hotel room.



As part of the wedding activities, a hike was scheduled for Saturday morning, and though it rained some and was still quite chilly, our little Tougy was a rock star. Who would have guessed that a 13 month child would happily set pace for a group of adults.

She led for better than a half mile, and though there were sections where she needed to be lifted up or down, she loved the challenge that the terrain presented.



Quiet time with Mom and daughter enjoying the trail like old friends.



As I mentioned, the desert comes alive in the spring given enough rain. Here a Prickly Pear shows off its alluring flower.



Lined up like birthday candles, many of the Prickly Pear were literally rimed with buds in various stages of bloom.



And who can overlook the majestic Agave.



Even this small Barrel Cactus was showing off.



Like sharks teeth, the edges of the Giant Agave demand respect and are dutifully given wide berth.



I know it has been a while since we've seen Tougy. I promise she makes her return in a few more frames.



Last one I promise. I was just having so much fun playing with my new lens, the new Nikon 60mm Micro.



And she's back! The hike was somewhat longer than our little girl had legs for and so here she happily rides along in her Ergo Carrier in front of Mom.



Looking Stylish. I guess the days of the Foster Grant Mirrored Sunglasses are not over.



So here is the pre-wedding hiking party. Thankfully we took the group shot before the hike, for within minutes of returning to the parking lot at the end, the skies opened up and a rain fell hard.



I couldn't resist putting this shot in of the sister and brother duo Deb and Rob. Lifelong family friends of KJ and her family as well as friends of mine for nearly 15 years, it was Deb (aka Bean) who introduced KJ and me nearly 8 years ago. We love you both!



Tougy and KJ dressed to impress at the wedding. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon for the outdoor wedding beside Oak Creek in Sedona at l'Auberge.



Tougy's dashing date Jonah.



And the courtship begins - if a bit untraditionally.



Every wedding needs the loving glance of a daughter/bride upon her father as he walks her down the aisle. Remember that Tougy!



I don't know how best to remark upon this cake. It was simply the most amazing edible creation I had ever seen.

The wedding reception had a palpable Moroccan feel as the couple had spent many months there and had at one point planned to hold the wedding there.



Here Jonah's father(Martinzie) and Tougy's mother(KJ of course) arrange the future for their children while also proving very capable Salsa dancers. Who Knew?



As it was a late afternoon wedding and evening reception, the bride - clearly having nothing else to worry about - had arranged for a hotel room to be made available to the four families with young children and had even arranged for a sitter. It was a great touch and was very much appreciated Tanda. Thank You.

So at the end of the evening, we collected our young Tougy and, sleepy as she was, did one last tour through the crowd to say our goodbye.



So down from Sedona we drove into the valley outside of Phoenix to join up with Sara and Adam and their daughter Rylie. We all first met on our third day with Tougy at the Baby House in Astana and now here we were in their home in Scotsdale nearly seven months later.

Rylie is a week older than Tougy, and Sara and Adam had already begun visiting her when we arrived on 01 Nov. As they visited Rylie in the mornings and we visited Tougy in the afternoons, we only spent time all together on Saturdays when both groups spent time in the playroom simultaneously.

That said, we did see Sara and Adam outside of the Baby House a number of times and enjoy their company, and so it was great to have a chance to get the girls together Monday afternoon. They have both done so well in their new families.



Among our activities during our short time together, we took a walk down to a splash fountain to let the girls play, but it turned out to be a little too chilly and the swing set across the street kept Tougy captivated to the point of longing stares and frustration.

Here she does her best to hail a passing cab.



Somewhere soon after the swings her accumulated lack of sleep took charge and the tears rolled without provocation.



Rylie and Sara outside the evening's fabulous outdoor Mexican restaurant.



Unfortunately this is the best of the photos I have of the girls together at dinner. Suffice it to say they got along famously.



So now we go back in time a bit to a weekend in mid May spent with Marshall, Jen, and Aila on the Cape. Unfortunately we had come together this time for the Memorial Service for Marshall's dear father. The Service was wonderful and we were able to spend some healing time together afterwards.

This first shot is our little monkey giving me a hug on the beach in Provincetown before heading to the service.



As she so often does, she came alive in the sand and was fascinated with covering and uncovering her hands and feet.



Oh the simple joys!



She really is this happy. I swear we don't stage these.



Here Tougy and Aila try sharing a single bucket swing as Trudi and Jen look on.



Sharing the one seat worked for a short while, but then it was time for Tougy to try out the big kid swing again, and again she seemed to do well. She is quickly getting the hang of having to hang on.



After the service in Provincetown and the reception in Wellfleet we headed back to Osterville for the night where Tougy was able to wake up and spend time on Poppy's beach before heading back to Boothbay.



Sand, sun, and children - can you go wrong!



I feel you Tougs. It gets me every time as well.



Tougy loves to explore different textures and challenge herself walking upon various slopes. She is a born climber.



Sandy or not, there is simply no substitute for her left thumb.



She used the time on the drive home to do some early Christmas Wish-listing. Oh such a gifted (literally and figuratively) child.

So the big news - Tougy will not be a single child.

We have signed with an adoption agency in California to find Tougy's sibling in Kyrgyzstan. So it looks like we will soon be starting a second blog named Kyrgmoadoption.blogspot.com. Don't look for it just yet, though soon. More later. Take Care.

Spring – Finally!

Mother’s Day was a beautiful day here in Boothbay. As you can see the skies were clear blue, and the temp reasonable for this time of year (60’s). Despite KJ’s being the on-call vet for the weekend, we managed a good chunk of family time and had lots of fun both at the park and here at home.



Aitugan absolutely loves swinging. I’m not sure how much of it would be needed to get her to proclaim ‘all done’, but I know I’ve not gotten there yet, and it is not for lack of effort.

To say that she is fearless seems an understatement. She is still awaiting her first ‘aha’ fall or accident to help her judge when to say when – though I’m in no great hurry for that accident either.

Until then She will just continue to go through her days blissfully unaware and roundly joyful, and let’s face it, who wouldn’t want that for their child.



As they have since the day we met her, all good things begin with adeen, dvah, tree – one, two, three in Russian. She loves it. The anticipation of the ‘tree’ makes her simply giddy.



The swing sits high enough (or maybe it is just that her legs are short enough) that it is possible to lie beneath her and allow her to zoom past. Fascinating for both a child and photographer.



Pure Joy!!



Take note Uncle Scott, this is how you hang on to monkey bars. Did I mention that our little monkey is strong?



Running to the top of the slide.



We began to go through Tougy’s closet the other day looking at a number of things given to her that, until now, have been too large and decided that even though the day didn’t quite warrant it, we would try out her Wellies. She loved them, though found them challenging to climb in.



Oh Midou our gentle giant. We love you old man.



With a look that seems to echo the words on the bottle, Aitugan is fiercely independent.



Though it is not easy to see, Tougy had had fun trying to eat the blue marker while attempting to sign mom’s card and as a result wore markings on both her face and her outfit the rest of the day.



At four times her current weight, Daouda can be extremely gentle where food is involved.



Daouda and his ever present tongue.



The post could not be complete without a photo of Mom on her first Mother’s Day. We love you Mom!!!

So now we move back in time away from Mother’s day and towards the end of the last post.



Here we have Acting-Sheriff Tougy standing tall at the OK Corral. So maybe she is just in the driveway in front of the shop but doesn’t she look imposing and purposeful?



A smattering of Daffodils in the back yard that came as bulbs courtesy of Nonna, and were lovingly planted by KJ just before heading to Kaz to meet Aitugan last fall. A resplendent reminder of life, growth, and beauty.



Over the weekend of 3-4 May, the three of us went down to Boston to visit friends.

We began at the New England Aquarium on Saturday with my grade school friend Tess, her husband David and son Graham. It did not take too long to realize that a cold and rainy Saturday in May was not the time to visit an aquarium in Boston.

Boy, living in Maine, your tolerance for crowds and lines diminishes inversely to your tolerance for bugs, cold, and taxes.

All that to say we promptly retreated to the comfort of a house and spent the remainder of the day attempting to tire out our wildly active girl. She loved Graham’s trampoline and bounced with all the spring she could pump out of her thighs.

As Graham is several years older, Tougy’s arrival gave him the opportunity to go into the basement and pull out some of his favorite toys from the past that he thought Tougy might enjoy.

It was very kind of him and we are sad not to have taken a good photo of the two of them playing together. Next time!



Graham’s indoor swing was also a huge hit and it was her first chance to use a big kids swing, i.e. not a bucket swing.

She did a great job of staying focused and held on right up until the point where she let go and fell off. How else do you learn!

We just smiled and reassured her that everything was fine – which thankfully it was.



Sunday had us visiting a friend from college (Kerri) and her husband Mark and 3 kids William, Molly, and Adelyn.

Here Tougy, Addy, and I share a moment.



Next Addy takes a break on big brother William as Molly looks on in the back.

Tougy had such a great time playing with Molly and Will. She loves being around older kids and Will and Molly were so interested in playing with her and showing her new things. It was a great day.



Adelyn looking sweet.



Molly posing for the camera. She loved having her picture taken.



Tougy making a face I can’t really describe. Certainly not one we had seen before.



Banging on anything is fun, but something that reciprocates with this much noise is pure joy.



Tougy loves to give hugs and will literally drop upon her unsuspecting subjects be they human, canine, or stuffed animal.



Daouda – what more can I say.



Showing just a hint of her true expressive self.



Tougy showing she is not all smiles, laughs and hugs, though really, when this is as bad as it gets, who are we kidding, we are very lucky (so far).



Aitugan has become fascinated with sitting of late. She lines up her approach turns around, shuffles backwards and drops.

One of her favorite targets seems to be the boys. They have been incredibly understanding, for she often lands upon their legs and they have yet to object.



Ah the eating of rocks – that time honored fascination.

This/these too will pass – I hope!



She loves the action of putting things ‘in’ and taking things ‘out’ and does her best to vocalize the words along with us.



No words needed.



A parting shot with her and her puppy. She likes to give her stuffed animals hugs and kisses, though this is fairly new. Until a month or so ago she had very little interest in them. Now she likes to carry them around and has also taken an interest in babies, whether real or toy.

There are so many more incredible things that we are discovering each passing day, but who are we kidding, you have your own lives.

Know that we appreciate your interest in our daughter and are grateful to the greater community we have come to know through this adoption process.

Take Care.