7/11/2007 01:13:00 PM
Edit This
This is Angie (Lou Ann's sister) and Jim with a quick update. Lou Ann and H.R. made it to Almaty Tuesday afternoon. The hotel is nice, it has very small rooms, but it does have air conditioning which they are very happy about. The hotel has many restaurants nearby as well. Alexis is doing great and besides having a little trouble napping with all the excitement she seems to be having a ball with her Mom and Grandma. Lou Ann has not been able to get to an internet site yet, but has heard of one four blocks away that she may use soon. They are working on getting all the documentation from Kazakhstan and then they can start on the U.S. side of things. That is all for now and hopefully Lou Ann will be able to update the blog soon.
7/05/2007 02:38:00 AM
Edit This
7/02/2007 11:09:00 AM
Edit This
Just a quick note to explain the pictures of the Caspian Sea. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment. It looks beautiful from afar but when you get to close it stinks. Literally. As you can see people dump trash in and round the shore line which is a shame since they also go swimming, crabbing and fishing there as well. We went down twice and both times it smelled bad, even though our driver ReNot said it’s not always so bad. I think they might dump sewage in there since it smells worse than Stinky Bay in Port Orchard when the tide is out.
Anyway, you can see how it constantly changes. Some days are so still you can’t tell where the Sea ends and the sky begins. Other days the winds really kick up some waves and it reminds me of Malibu. The “beaches” are crushed rocks and shells, rocky inlets or really hard compact ground as you can see from the picture where the cars are parked right next to the water. It’s so different from the Puget Sound in Seattle that you really can’t compare them. After all, this sea is in the middle of the desert and the Puget Sound land mass is awash with evergreens and vast amounts of vegetation. As you can see nothing much grows near the sea. It’s still beautiful to look at and Lexie will have the ocean to grow up near, so she won’t be missing out on anything except Camel and horse milk. Yes they milk their horses too. But that’s a story for a different day.
The news on Lexie is that I may actually get to take her out of the orphanage a day early. I’ll know tomorrow but I don’t want to get my hopes up. I just want that final decision in my hands and then to get on the first plane out of here. I’ll let you all know how it goes tomorrow.
6/29/2007 02:14:00 AM
Edit This
That's right. The phone bill was paid so we have a working phone which means internet as well. The internet at the Mall is still not working so I'm doing this from a very slow dial up at the apartment which means I can only attach a few pictures. But at least the family can call and check in with us tonight and my brother Kyle won't call the American Embassy as he threatened to do if someone didn't speak to us at least once every three days. So Kyle no need to call in the Marines unless they are really cute. Then send them on over. There has to be some entertainment around here.
Just 6 more days and Lexie will be free of the Baby House and my daughter officially. I can hardly wait. This second waiting period is much harder than the first. It seems like a waste of time and I don't see who it benefits. I think the bonding period is really important since it gives parent and child a chance to get to know each other before they are on their own. But this waiting period seems to help no one. Alexis is just sitting in the orphanage getting bitten by more bugs and sweating in this 90+ degree heat when she could be on her way home to the US. Oh well, it will be over soon but I really hope they don't follow through with this new ruling and make families wait a month before going to court after the bonding period. I think it will be especially hard on the older kids. What was a great way to transition the kids into their new families now becomes a confusing time in limbo when the orphanage has already started giving more attention to the children that still don't have parents and the child doesn't understand where "MaMa" who was spending so much time with them has gone. I hope for every ones sake they make the process quicker not longer. At least for Lexie and I it will be over soon. Then we're off to Almaty and then home to lots of family, friends and fun. I'm not sure how much fun the 20+ hours of flying will be but I'm sure we'll make it just like so many other families before us. I am just really lucky to have found Alexis when I did and I can hardly wait for everyone to meet her. She's a very special little girl that will bring joy and laughter to lots of people. I am truly Blessed.
Mom was not so Blessed this morning. She feeds one or two of the babies in Lexies group as I feed her every morning. Unfortunately Mom threw out her back when she placed the little girl she was feeding back into the playpen. This happens every few years so of course now is the perfect time for it to happen again. She took a muscle relaxer and is resting in the apartment. I'm sure she'll be fine in a day or two. I don't even want to think about having to go to a doctor here or having to stay longer until she feel better. So please say a couple of prayers that she gets better fast. I know I will be. More later.
