Happy First Birthday Nurai

We are so sad to be thousands of miles from you today.  Just days ago we still planned to be with you this morning and to make this your 'Gotcha Day', but much to our dismay, that plan has come and gone. Our new plan has us back in Kazakhstan the morning of 11 Jan to pick you up, with an anticipated arrival back in the US of 16 Jan.

We think of you constantly and miss you dearly.  We made of video of the family singing Happy Birthday to you, and your sister made a birthday card for you at school today that she will give to you when you get home.  Take Care of yourself my little girl.  We love you.

So close, and yet...

Yesterday we had a call from our agency informing us that there were issues with obtaining Nurai's passport and, while it was not certain, it looked likely to interfere with our timeline.

Today came the confirmation that our timeline would need to be altered.  As it stands, rather than leaving this Saturday and arriving on Nurai's birthday (28Dec), we now expect to be back in country Monday 11Jan.

So yeah, more than just a small change.  I know that the great majority of you checking in on our blog are adoptive families and so you can fully appreciate both how these things happen, and how they in turn affect you and your world.

Adoption requires a great deal of flexibility and we are grateful to have understanding family, friends, employers, etc., as we continue to revise and/or completely rewrite our plans every few days.

Beyond the logistics, it is of course emotionally challenging as well. The cycling of anticipation that ebbs and floes as our timeline alternates between close and faraway plays havoc with your sense of calm.

Like a meteor with an erratic orbit, we spin out of control, somedays feeling on the cusp of a new beginning, and other days feeling as if we are racing off in the opposite direction.

It will of course all happen, and like so many other things, these days and delays will be but a small part of the history of the whole, but for now they loom large in our lives and minds.

Bounder, we love you and we are doing the best we can to bring you home and shower you with the love, family, and support you deserve. Hang in there.

Take Care.

We have a plan...

(these are not new pictures - no we are not there right now)

After numerous iterations, we now have come up with what may likely be our return trip itinerary (how's that for non-commital?).

Tickets were purchased last night for KJ and me to return to Kazakhstan for our final trip to pick up Nurai and bring her home.  We will leave here on the 26th and arrive in Almaty in the early hours of 28 December.

We are so excited that this date appears to be working out since 28 December will be Nurai's 1st birthday, and now looks likely to become her 'Gotcha Day' as well.

For her part, in the interest of making this trip as short as possible and to minimize the risk of getting stuck in Holiday Limbo, Nurai will be escorted to Almaty to meet us on the 28th and will begin processing paperwork that morning so that we can get everything completed as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately our return options are very limited during this week.  The only two flights we could find for seemingly reasonable fares were KLM on the 30th and Lufthansa on the 3rd, so we are going with the 3rd.

It would be fun to think that there might be a chance to fly out on the 30th, but we need more than 48 hours in country to get everything sorted in Almaty, and so while we are likely to be all set by the 31st or 1st, we will have to await Sunday's flight on the 3rd.

Tougy will stay here at 'her' house and look after the dogs and after Christmas she will move up from the older toddler room to the pre-school room at school, a change she is very excited about making.  

I know that we have not been great about posting photos and videos from our first trip to Kaz as we previously stated we would do, but if it makes you feel better, I can promise that you will see them before you get our Christmas Card!

Take Care.

Sisters

Nurai and me at the Shymkent Baby House November 2009

Aitugan and me at the Astana Baby House November 2007