Happy New Year

If ever you thought that the adoption phase was over once you got home and settled into your own routine as a family, all it takes is one quick outing with a black-haired brown-eyed princess to remind you that your life will never be the same again. I'm not sure I realized how big a billboard would sit atop my head reading 'Ask me about my child?'.

I don't - at this point anyway - find it overly obtrusive, or inappropriate, but I was certainly a little more than taken aback at how readily conversation would be directed my way because of our little energy ball. Granted we were walking in and out of stores catering to babies and thus the number of new/young families was higher than the general population might otherwise suggest, but that said, I quickly realized a need to be ready at a moments notice to have questions come my way regarding Aitugan - questions such as; How old? Is it a boy or a girl? What's her name? Oh that's unusual, where is she from?

Again, these are all well intentioned people I suppose, though I am struck with the feeling that it my previous life(before children), I would never have approached a stranger and child with such questions without some context of familiarity - which apparently being a fellow parent is. I assume my Parenting Guild membership card must be in the mail.

So these first few days at home as a family - terrific! She has really coped exceptionally well, and given the amount of change thrust upon her, she has been nothing short of stellar. As you can see in the photos from the other day, she and the dogs have become fast friends, with they far more curious about her than she is them at this point in the new relationship.

One of our boys in particular (Daouda) has taken to following her endlessly, to the point of wanting to sleep near her as she sleeps, and whining and barking if he is kept out of the room she is in. He is just so intrigued with her, and for us to say anything disparaging about that would certainly be calling the kettle black.

We have made several forays into the world since arriving in Maine with Aitugan. The first was a quick trip into Boothbay Harbor to have dinner. The next day we took Aitugan out in the Ergo Carrier for a walk through the woods behind the house, and then went into Freeport to check out some of the baby retail outlets, and then yesterday took her into Portland and wheeled her around in her stroller.

All of these trips are more to get her accustomed to the various modes of travel and personal restriction that comes with them than they are sincere missions of necessity. The car seat was a bit of a fuss, but nothing worse than we expected. The stroller (Bugaboo Frog) took some getting used to as she seemed a bit removed from us and a bit shell shocked by the lower than normal vantage point wherein legs occluded her line of sight, though within an hour or so seemed relatively at ease.

The Ergo Carrier has been a lifesaver since day one. We introduced her to it back in the baby house, and found it indispensable when we got her home to our apartment in Astana, mostly for rocking/walking her to sleep. At the Hyatt in Almaty we also found the Ergo was a great way to include her on little errands and she continued to see it as a calm and safe place. Here at home it continues to be her preferred way to remain with us, though it can get tough on the back after long periods, and so we are trying to enter the stroller into the mix for those times that warrant the effort to bring it along.

We have a glider chair in her room that has helped to calm her and lull her into sleep, and for naps we use her crib in her room, though at night we have her sleep in between us in our bed. She continues to love bath time and has become quite fearless about putting her mouth in and either drinking water or blowing bubbles.

She goes through sections of her day now where all she is interested in doing is grabbing our fingers and walking around the house. It is certainly exciting for her to have so much control of her motion and direction, though it takes a toll on our backs to remain leaned over for as long as she hopes we would.

It has been marvelous to catch up with family and friends and to once again reunite with the piles of mail that accumulated during our time in Kaz. It is also wonderfully liberating to once again enjoy the personal freedom of maintaing our own schedule and fulfilling our own transportation needs. Ah - Home!

Things here are busy as one might expect. More Later. Take Care.

As some of you have already said, others already know, and still more might imagine, there is nothing like the feeling of landing back in the US with your daughter.

Sure things are irrevocable after the court decree, and sure many of the steps that follow are mere formalities, but there is still an instinctive breath holding until that moment when you actually land back home that feels almost primal.

Well, that last step has come and gone, and I must say that even in a state of near exhaustion - or perhaps because of it - once you take that first breath, make that first step, and see that first smile back home, everything that precedes it loses all its edges.

The procurement of the dossier no longer feels to have been so tedious. The waiting while the Kaz ministries first decided if, and later from where, we could adopt seems shorter than we first thought. The frustrations experienced during the eight weeks in country appear more trivial. Even the food we managed to get through in Kaz we now miss. All this makes it feel possible we might actually do this again someday. But that is a topic for another day.

Aitugan did very well during her flights. I know that the impending travel at the end of the adoption process is a time to be rightfully apprehensive, but that acknowledged, again the reality was far better than the preflight concerns we had created in our minds.

As we stated above, she did only sleep briefly on each of the first two legs of the journey - first a 3-hour journey to Ekaterinberg and then a 6-hour flight to London. The London to Boston 7-hour flight saw an inverse in her patterns as she slept all but brief periods of eating and diaper changes. We even had to actively keep her awake during the take of and ascent so that she could continue to suck her thumb and keep her ears clearing.

We alluded to it earlier, but our trip home seemed to hit a snag before we even got to the airport. We were excited to travel Christmas Day for many reasons, though chief among them was certainly that we expected to find quite empty flights.

Well apparently the airlines tend to not take the same loving view of offering their travelers unlimited seats in which to spread out, for hours before the journey was to begin, British Air cancelled our London to Boston flight for seemingly no reason. As a result, we were rescheduled to a flight to New York with a four hour layover and then a quick flight up to Boston.

In all it was to not only add on 5 hours to the journey, but also add one more up and down in a plane - the most difficult part for any child. KJ's and my tickets were easy enough to change as they were e-tickets and could just be re-written through the computer. Aitugan's ticket however was far more difficult to change - though for reasons that still seem implausible.

We had to purchase Aitugan's ticket at the BMI office (a British Air partner) in Almaty and of course it was issued as two parts, the first to London and the second to Boston. When our itinerary changed such that there were now three legs home, we needed to get a third leg reissued for her ticket, and since it was a paper ticket, it had to be done at a ticketing agent.

We spent nearly an hour at the check-in counter in Almaty as one by one, the desk attendants cycled through offering their best guess at how to make our tickets correct. Seemingly in an act more resembling a giving up on rather than a resolution of, we were allowed to board with the understanding that we would need to go to BA's counter in London and simply get another ticket.

Sure, they make it sound so simple that for a moment you actually believe it could be, but then you arrive in London and realize you've been had. We went first to a BA desk in the transfer lounge where it was stated clearly that what we had for her would not work and that we needed to have BMI reissue her ticket.

So off across the lounge we went to the BMI desk. There we found out that on most days, they in fact have a fully staffed desk, but because of the holidays, we would have to go out through customs to the main ticketing desk in the departures area.

After venting a bit of frustration in the direction of the hapless attendant who - in a scene straight out of a movie - reasserted that it really was just around the corner, and again because of the holidays and resulting lack of crowd, would only take a few minutes.

As we moved to the front of the line at customs, we hit a wall of sorts. Aitugan was traveling under her Kazak passport, and since we had not obtained a tourist visa for Britain for her, there would be much additional paperwork to be completed before she could go through, regardless of the reason.

We decided that KJ and Aitugan would remain inside the transfer lounge and I would go 'out' and sort out our tickets and then join them in front of Harrod's. Of course we had no cell phones that would work in London and so had no way of contacting one another had anything gone wrong, but we seemed to have no other choice.

I went through customs and found the BMI ticket agent and of course was told that BA should have been able to make this change, since after all it was they who cancelled the flight and created the need for the re-routing. I was directed out of the departure hall to a neighboring building where I found the BA ticket agent.

Without pause he looked at the ticket, listened to my story and stated that BMI was in error. Fortunately I had taken down the name and number of the BMI guy and asked that the BA agent call him and sort this out.

As I was standing at the counter listening to the conversation going back and forth between the two sides, I asked another agent when the flight to New York that we were working so hard to get on to actually was set to depart, when invariably she tells me that boarding closes in 3 minutes, two terminals away.

Alright clearly that is not going to work so what is plan C? After some hemming and hawing, I am told of a direct flight on American to Boston that we should be able to make, but that I still have to go back to the BMI desk to make the changes. So off I go, all the while hoping that KJ, Aitugan and I will actually find each other at the end of this.

Off to BMI I set, assuming of course that both sides were in agreement as to how now to proceed. Well not quite it turns out. BMI could and would reissue our tickets, but first BA would have to release our reservation. They actually looked to me and asked me whether they had released our reservation. Am I the one looking at the computer as they incessantly type whatever novel it is they are creating as I stand there? Was I the one on the phone with them five minutes before when I was back over at the BA desk?

No problem, they would call over. What, no one at BMI seems to have a phone number for BA? No problem, they'll send an agent over to BA and he'll come back with the information. Meanwhile, the man behind the computer goes back to his literary masterpiece pausing every few hundred words to look over my passport, or ask how to spell Aitugan's name.

Several chapters later, fearless Francoise, our fateful runner is no where to be found. It has now been over an hour since KJ and I split up, and the sands in the proverbial hourglass seem to be nearing the end where our getting to Boston was concerned.

In an apparent conciliatory act, the agent agrees to issue the ticket ahead of BA's clearance, though now begins to inform me that I will not be able to go through security here in terminal 1 to rejoin KJ and Aitugan since our new tickets have us departing from terminal 3.

What to do?

I implore them to find a solution as I have no way of contacting KJ, and after detailing the convoluted path they suggested I make from the BMI desk over to terminal 3, through security, onto a bus back to terminal one, find KJ and get back on a bus to terminal 3, they mention that they might be able to escort me through security here at terminal 1 and avoid all of this nonsense.

Several calls, and seemingly hours, later, I am heading through security with our new tickets in hand and rejoin KJ and AItugan who have waited faithfully for my return. We make our way over to terminal 3 and assess the prospect of one day rejoining with our luggage again - all three going missing was the odds on favorite.

Once on board the AA flight, Aitugan had worn out her last bit of energy and needed constant jiggling and jostling to keep her awake enough to suck her thumb. It was a nice moment of comic relief as these two new parents found it required more and more physical shaking to create the same awake response as time went on.

As I said, 0 of 3 bags seemed most likely with a slim chance of 3 for 3, but the resultant 2 of 3 was a surprise. Clearly someone had taken the three claim numbers and gone looking for our bags to get them re-routed in the correct alignment, how then do only two make it.

We still don't know. Hopefully the bag will show up as it has nearly all of KJ's things, plus the bulk of our souvenirs/gifts/mementos from Kaz. Maybe we'll get around to calling after it at some point today, but the reality is that we are just having so much fun having her home with us, in our house, with our dogs, that tracking luggage doesn't reach high on the list of priorities.

We hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday, and we wish the Robinson's a smooth an eventless journey home in just a few hours. Know that many of us are thinking of the three of you today and look forward to connecting with you soon. Take Care.



Well I have to at least make it seem like our little angle slept all the way. The truth was that she slept for maybe an hour during the first ten hours and two flights that took us from Almaty to Ekaterinberg to London.



Here we are getting set to leave Kaz. There was definitely an odd 'wow, I can't believe it is really over' quality to it.





Taxiing out of the gate at Almaty



Aitugan has really taken to music and just had to see how these latest headphones stood up. As one might expect, they were no competition for an infant.



Touching down for a brief refueling stop in Ekaterinberg, the local weather was -27 C with 25 mile an hour winds. Not exactly a popular destination for Christmas Break.



We thought - incorrectly - that once we left Kazakhstan, we would surely be rid of the random babushkas telling us how to care for our child. How wrong we were. Luckily, we parted ways in London and were able to finally walk our daughter through a public space without a hat, and without a lecture.



We arrived home in Maine shortly after midnight, and though we stayed up for several hours, decided to wait until the next morning to open gifts. Aitugan received a great number of wonderful things, though the clear favorite was the wrapping paper. There is just something captivating about the sound of tearing paper.

Just a quick place-holder of a posting to say that we arrived here in Boothbay just after midnight Christmas night. Our travels went reasonably well, though after a cancelled flight, a missed flight, and a missing bag, we are simply glad to have it behind us. All of our flights were mostly empty, and with the potential to be sitting too close to a crying baby, most folks gave us a wide perimeter.

I will try to do a full report tomorrow as we try and get a little sleep tonight. Take Care.

These next few photos are just a sampling of the phenomenal spread put on here at the Hyatt tonight. We would likely have had another evening in our room with more cheese, bread, and Pringles had it not been for the invitation to share the evening with Aila's family.

For all of you who have been following both of our adoption blogs, I ask you why you never told us the other was out there. We came dangerously close to passing in the night. Thankfully we did not.







Aitugan moments after receiving her first ever Christmas gift (from the Robinsons), proving that sometimes the wrapping becomes an unforseen bonus gift.



Finally an excuse for hair loss.



Marshall and Aila



Jennifer, Aila, Kjersten and Aitugan saying farewells from this side of the world. We'll reconvene this festive gathering back in New England soon.





And just like that, our time here in Kaz comes to an end. I can think of no better way to close out the experience than through sharing Christmas Eve dinner with fine friends and an amazing meal.

We are so fortunate this year in so many incredible ways. Aitugan is certainly our greatest blessing, but the friends we have made along this amazing journey, and the fabulous love and support of our families and friends are surely treasured and highlighted at times like these.

With luck we will have an uneventful day of travel tomorrow and will find ourselves safely home in Maine by night's end. We wish you all a wonderful holiday and look forward to continuing to share this amazing journey with all of you from a more familiar setting.

I cannot begin to express how much it has helped us to know that there is a wide and wonderful community of people out there who have taken an interest in our process and have helped welcome Aitugan to her new life. Thank You All. Take Care.

What better time to make a trip up the gondola to the top of a scenic mountain than during a snowstorm.



You know you've arrived when you realize you now share common experiences with the likes of Steven Segall and Gerard Depardieu









At some point during everyone's experience here in Kazakhstan, you just have to stop asking why and accept it for what it is - in this case, the Beatles in life sized glory, albeit a little underdressed.















These shots are all from our outing to Kok Tobe on the 23rd with Jennifer, Marshall and Aila. It is now the evening of the 24th, and we are on track to leave in the morning to fly home.

Our interview at the embassy - our last bit of official business of the adoption process - went smoothly this morning and now we are getting ready to head down to a Christmas Eve dinner with the Robinson's. We have been so fortunate to share so much time with them all these last several days and look forward to getting together once we all settle back home.

I will try to get on after dinner and post a few more photos and make one last entry before we hop on our flights tomorrow. Take Care.

Here come some photos from the last several days.

We will begin with our Astana apartment. We took these just before we walked out the door for the last time. You can be sure that it never looked so go during the time we were living there.







For reasons that remain mysterious, there appear to be many a bed throughout Kazakhstan comprised solely of a box spring, and lacking even a semblance of a mattress. Maybe it's a function of a misguided lay-a-way program, or maybe simply regional differences in sleep habits, but it takes some getting used to for those of us who consider the mattress a fairly integral part of the whole sleep system.











Before leaving Astana for good, I had to stop by the Ice City one last time. Though unfortunately we did not get to see it completed this year, I enjoyed watching the process immensely.





Unfortunately it is difficult to get a sense of the massive size of this wall of wild horses running. Take my word for it, it is impressive.



































And lastly tonight, Marshall, Jennifer, and Aila Robinson, our new friends from Rhode Island.