Oops, did I say a week from tomorrow, I meant the day after tomorrow!
To no one's great surprise, things have again changed. We received a call from our agency yesterday (friday) morning saying that our in-country(Kaz) person recommends coming as soon as possible. Hooray, we'll be on the next plane out, except, wait... we still don't have our visas/passports back from NY.
Oh yeah, that! Well it seems that they cannot be processed just yet because the LOI confirmation number is still not in the system. They have the number, and New York knows what that number is, it just hasn't shown up 'in the system' and therefor our visas cannot be processed Friday. Of course weekends being what they are, the next possible chance for that number to show up in the system is Monday.
Of course changing your tickets is not something airlines take lightly, nor do free of charge, and so, taking a few leaps of faith, we have changed our tickets and put a somewhat tenuous plan into play that looks something like this:
We pack and plan as if we are flying out of Boston Monday evening. Monday morning we wake up, take Tougy to school as usual, then wait until the NY Consulate opens to see if the number is now in the system. If it is, my older brother(who lives outside of NYC) goes into the city and picks up our passports and visas then goes to Kennedy Airport to fly to Boston.
On our side, we will finish packing, and have KJ's parents drive us to pick up Tougy, then drive the 3.5 hours to Boston to meet my brother and get on our flights.
If the number is not in the system, then we drop back and punt and accept that we may in fact have to pay change of ticket fees all over again and hope that our old itinerary is still available.
Yeah, it has been a hectic 24 hours here, made no better by the fact that KJ is working all day today and I am here with Tougy as I try and make all of these plans and changes. Thankfully Tougy's two new friends Nemo and Shreck stopped by on this cold rainy Saturday.
Was it all worth it, time will tell.
Take Care.
Join us on our journeys as we adopt our daughters from Kazakhstan.
Meet Aitugan
Aitugan Astana Elizabeth
Aitugan is pronounced "eye""two""gone" with mild emphasis on the first syllable. Aitugan is Kazakh for "born under a new moon" and was the name given to her by her birthmother. We have chosen to keep the name Aitugan as we love the name, the meaning and the connection that it will maintain to her country of birth. Our adoption of Aitugan was finalized the eleventh of December 2007 when we finally left the Hope Astana Baby House as a family of three.
Meet Nurai
Nurai Alia Anson
Nurai is pronounced Nur (sounds like were) and "eye". Nurai is Kazakh for "shining light of the moon". This is the name that was given to her by her birth mother. We love the sound of Nurai's name as well as the meaning so have decided to keep her birth name. Similarly to Aitugan, we like that her name will remain a tie and tribute to her birth country. Our adoption was finalized on the eighth of December 2009 and we plan to return to Maine as a family of FOUR on the sixteenth of January 2010.
About Us - Kjersten and Steve
We have been married now for eight years (as of July 2009) and in many ways the time seems to have flown by. As we discussed starting a family we had to decide whether to start with adoption or a biological child. We have both known for many years that we wanted to adopt and we finally decided that adoption made the most sense for the start of our human family. Our daughters join us and our two furry and very friendly rottweilers (Bokar and Daouda).
Elena's Kazakh Gift Shop
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20 comments:
holy cow!!!! We had a similiar thing happen to us..it took a while for that stupid ole number to show up cuz it's some ancient "telex" system. We had our tickets all ready to go then they called and wanted us there 5 days early...but we got it,so it was all good.
I feel confident things will work out as they should. THIS IS SO EXCITING!
However..I will admit..I'm kinda glad its you going thru it right now instead of me cuz I remember how stressful it all was..BUT I will wish I was you when i see you with that beautiful child. (but Joe said NO NO NO) so I can't go back anyway. :)
xoxoxoxoo
keep us posted!!
Wow. You guys have given new meaning to the term "whirlwind departure!" Hope it all works out, for all of you and for Bobek too who might be in your loving embrace that much sooner. In the interim, we'll all be waiting with baited breath to see if you make your new departure target.
All the best!
Pam and Nicholas (from Ust Kam)
both of whom are also hoping for a sooner rather than later departure date to meet Nicholas new sibling
Wow! What news! I guess just be ready to expect the unexpected, huh?
Like others, we will be crossing our fingers and hoping everything works out for Monday!
Until then, here's to a productive weekend!!
Paula
Wow! I know that you're extremely stressed, nervous, and excited. I hope you get your visas and are able to fly out Monday night. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Wow, the ups and downs and flexibility needed with IA. It's a good thing you two can operate that way!
And it takes an entire family to make IA work too doesn't it. Thank goodness for family to help you out when you need it.
Fingers and toes crossed and some prayers too!
We hurried up and got to our region only to have to wait several days before we met our girlie.
I'll be watching your blog closely staying tuned ofr the latest update.
Hugs.
Never any shortage of drama in a Kaz adoption! We had the similar panic with only 2-3 days to get ready to go after the LOI with the message to "get over there asap!" Good luck with the flurry!
If you plan to make more than one trip, I suggest you call Eldo from Golden Rule Travel http://goldenruletravel.com/
He can get you humanitarian airfares that are changeable w/o additional fees.
My mantra that got me through our whole journey was "I'm a leaf in a river... just go with the flow"
Good luck on the travel & soak in the precious moments that you will have with your little one!
T
http://tntc/wordpress.com
HOLY MOLY! Never ever a dull moment when waiting for Visas and making arrangements to go meet your new baby! I am getting chills all over (this time not H1N1 related - smile). MONDAY!? Sounds like a cool plan. And a VERY cool brother to do that for you! WOOOHOO! Cannot wait to hear everything. Hope you're off soon! Love you!
Been reading your blog about a year & enjoy it so much! I hope everything goes smoothly. It is very exciting....GOOD LUCK!
There is certainly a justifiable reason why we always view you as providing the "gold standard" for all Kazakh adoptions. Just when we commit the ultimate hubris in assuming that we have this "process" all figured out, the gods have a good giggle by throwing in some entirely different pathway to follow - and you always seem to respond appropriately in kind. We salute your externally unflappable contingencies, while recognizing the inner turmoils and underlying stresses that obviously exist. And you retain our utmost respect, support, love and best wishes in the face of your newly uncovered, telescoped timeline. Our fingers are crossed that everything falls into place in the appropriate fashion. (As you know, it won't necessarily follow your desires, but you know how to roll with the outcomes). And best of all, maybe Christmas in Maine this year?
Our thoughts are with you. Enjoy the ride!
Oh MY! When I first read your entry title, I was hoping you would be flying out on Wednesday and maybe we'd be on the same flight! As they say in Swedish, "I am holding my thumbs" for you.
Safe travels and good luckski!
Andrea
Par for the course with Kaz. Best of luck with this adoption and your visas.
Take care,
Nanci
As with all pregnacies, paper and otherwise, babies come when they are ready. Good luck on Monday!
OMG, I'm nervous just reading this. It's great that you have such helpful family members! I'm hoping that it will all work out as it should.
They never make it easy do they? Well, now I know what I'll be doing Monday; obsessively waiting to see if you guys are winging your way to your next child! So exciting!!
Wow! hoping it all works out and you really can leave TOMORROW! How VERY exciting!!! Good Luck!
Wow, how exciting! I will be thinking of you guys all day tomorrow or rather all week... My visa did not arrive till 10:00 am the morning I was meant to leave. All worked out just the way it was meant too and it will for you too.
Sending lots of good thoughts and a safe trip to Kaz. Can not wait for the first update...
xxoo
oh my!!!! What an adventure already. I will have my fingers crossed for you that you are on a plane Monday night. Yahoo!!!
Best of luck! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you get the news you want and are off. Our favorite restaurant in Shymkent was Mozzarella. It was a little expensive by Kazak standards but we thought it was reasonable by American standards and the food was all really good (and they had an English menu).
Abby
Another great adventure begins - I can't wait to see how it turns out!
Let me know if you need anything from the Boston end - I mean it!!
Safe travels.
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