Busy Month!

Just wanted to make a short note that we have a surgery date for Daniyar! He will have surgery on January 11th at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He will have some cavities repaired, ear tubes and his cleft lip repaired. When the plastic surgeon gets an exam under anesthesia, he will decide if he will repair the palate also. We know recovery will be more painful if both are done but one episode of anesthesia/recovery would be great. We were told to expect 3-4 surgeries until he is 18 years old at least, if all goes well. Wish us luck and send up some prayers!

He is doing great. His new words in the past day were Ironman (Collin's toy), oatmeal (his second favorite food besides fruit snacks), wow!, and pig (in his picture book). He gets new ones every day. Collin has been singing Christmas tunes especially "you better watch out, you better not cry!" a lot and Daniyar sings (babble style) at the top of his lungs with him. Collin asked what pout means from that song and is still convinced it is another word for poot so he puts fart and poot in a lot. Gotta love 4-5 yr old boys!

I'll try to get another photo cd made or get the laptop to a wifi spot tomorrow for overdue fall and Halloween pics.

Grammy and Pa meet Daniyar this weekend and we celebrate Daniyar's 4th birthday Wednesday! We have a lot to be thankful for. Jacqueline

Almaty Pics

Here are some pics from our days in Almaty. Gulnara was an excellent tour guide, taking us to the zoo, the cathedral, to feed the birds and 2 amusement parks. We had a blast!

Finally Alone!

It has been hard to find time to blog much. The boys are trying to work out their relationship and how to share time with Mom. They both want me to hold them all of the time so as you can imagine, not much time at the computer. They did great going trick or treat last night with April, Matt and Jordan and then came home and played without arguing for at least 20 minutes-Yeah! Things are starting to fall into place but we are all a little tired. Dad took them both to McDonald's playland so I could get a little done. I was sick and ended up at the ER for a while on Thursday, dehydrated and feverish but better now. It was officially not H1N1 flu but something similar. Much better today but behind on housework and laundry. I am finally going to put some pics up. I'll start with some here in the US but add some from Almaty too. Thanks for everyone's support. If anyone wants to come over and see the boys, give us a call! Daniyar is very social and doesn't seem to mind company at all.

Settling In

Well, I found some computer time before the boys wake up. We had a couple of days of sleep difficulties as expected. It is hard to make that 10 hour time difference transition. Both boys slept from 9pm until now-yeah! Maybe we are getting on track. Daniyar has been great, laughing a lot and often silly. He even knows how to cross his eyes and then laughs out loud when you respond. He is singing a lot and does silly dances. Of course, he also seems to have a temper when he doesn't get his way, the rolling on the floor kicking and screaming type tantrums but they are short. I seem to remember Mom saying I did that as a little one. Collin was never a tantrum thrower so I'm sure I was due a child that has some. Collin has been a big helper, pushing Daniyar on the swing and making him laugh. I am so proud of how grown-up he has been. He even shares his toys well. He went to school yesterday telling everyone, "I have a little brother now!" We went to Kings Island amusement park for a few hours Sunday. The boys loved to ride together. I'm having trouble getting the computer to read my camera card so I'll get Ed to add the pics later. Jacqueline

We are home!

I'll make this short until Daniyar takes a nap. We got in last night but we were so tired we decided to stay at the hotel near the airport. Daniyar was tired of being strapped into a seat. We all got some much needed rest and a bath and then drove home today. We stopped at McDonald's with a play land and the boys had a great time. Collin was so excited at the airport he just wanted to grab up Daniyar. The flight was a bit of a challenge when we had to remain seated but all in all we survived. He only slept on the last 45 minute flight from Detroit to Ohio after 23 hours of flights and airports. We were both pretty exhausted. I got a lot of sympathy looks from fellow moms when he had a 2 hour fit but everyone was fairly nice.
Daniyar and Collin are playing with the toys now and then we'll have a big nap (I hope). I just can't believe our family is all together. Thanks to all of you who have supported and prayed for us. When I get a few minutes alone, I'll add some pics from this trip and the airport. Jacqueline

Having fun with Daniyar

We are in Almaty now and doing fine. I have had limited email access but wanted everyone to know that I am well and Daniyar is here with me and doing fine. We are still scheduled to fly home Friday morning. I have a tired hungry boy here at the internet cafe with me so I'll keep it short. More later. Jacqueline

Amsterdam!

I am halfway or more to Almaty so making progress. I guess I am about 12 hours or so into the trip. No problems with the Detroit or Amsterdam flights so far. I even managed to sleep a little! Missing my guys at home but so excited to see Daniyar in one day again. I'll keep everyone posted. You wouldn't want to see my picture right now, airplane pillow hair and smudged makeup, dark circles under my eyes. I need to go find coffee, wonder how many Euros that will be? Maybe a massage too, I have a few hours to kill. Thanks for my party at work and for everyone being so supportive. Next stop, Almaty! Jacqueline

Travel Dates!

We got the news that we could book trip #3 this weekend. I will be flying out Friday, October 9th and will get to see Daniyar Monday, October 12th. We will fly back together on Friday, October 16th! This will be such a special week as our first son, Collin's "Gotcha Day" was October 15th, 2006. We will always treasure such a special week for our boys. I'll post more details later. Tickets are booked and I am counting the days.

We were in Indiana this weekend to visit family. It has been a hard week. My uncle passed away unexpectedly and my grandmother is still very ill. It was good to be able to see loved ones. My mother is recovering from 2 surgeries but doing very well.

We had a comment from Amanda asking for my email address but I'm not sure which Amanda, I know of 3 Amandas that might have sent that comment. If you could send another comment with your email address I will email you ours.

Thanks for all who have followed along and given support. We are in the home stretch now! Jacqueline

Planning trip #3

Life is still a bit of a whirlwind trying to prepare for the newest member of the Gray family. We have decided that I will go back for trip #3 to take Daniyar to his appts and then fly home together. We are awaiting the dates for the travel. I am excited to be seeing him soon. We have a lot of work to do, packing, sorting clothing and toys, preparing Collin for life with a little brother. We are also trying to plan for time off work, medical appts for Daniyar and eventual preschool. Thanks for all of the ongoing support. I'll post again as soon as we have dates. Jacqueline

Home Again!

I finally had a few minutes after returning home to let everyone know we made it back OK. We got back Sunday night and went to bed right away after a 27 hour process of airports and plane trips. Collin did so well. He enjoyed the in-flight movies and games and played with his transformers and sticker books a lot. What a great helper, he really surprised us.

We are missing Daniyar already. Counting down the 4-5 weeks until we are all together again. It will be a good opportunity for me to learn some more Kazakh and get his room all put together. We hope the boys can enjoy the fall and Halloween together. Collin has already decided they should be Optimus Prime and Bumblebee (transformers for those of you who don't have small boys at home).

Thanks again for all of those who have offered support and prayers through this process. We can't thank you enough. We'll let you know when we hear more about the next trip and the "coming home" dates.

We are having some problems with our picture card but will try to post some pics later from the rest of our trip.

In Almaty!

We are here for our last day in Almaty! It is beautiful and sunny, in the 70's. We plan a nice lunch then a trip up to Kok-tobe on the gondola to the top of the mountain. I think Collin will like the childen's area up there. We fly out about 3am in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. I think we will get to the airport just after midnight. Collin is feeling well so hopefully no ear pain this time. We had a hard time saying goodbye to Daniyar yesterday but take some comfort in knowing it is our last goodbye. One month to having two sweet boys in our home. We will spend that time sorting clothes and toys to get ready for his arrival. We are so excited to get his room ready.
I am at the internet cafe and not sure how to download pics from here so we'll post more from home. Thanks for all of the good wishes. Jacqueline, Ed and the Collinator

Last day to visit

Today will be our last visit to the Baby House for this trip. We will go this morning and then we have to drive to Almaty to complete some paperwork for Daniyar's trip to the US. How fun to be talking about him coming home in a few weeks! We have been on the run since we got here, between documents, Baby House visits and keeping up with Collin. He has been a trooper. Even with the jet lag and an ear infection/fever at first, he has been a great big brother.
I am up at 1 am with the time shift trouble myself. I slept well for 2 nights due to flight exhaustion but now seem to have days and nights mixed up. Oh well, a little alone time is good, maybe I'll nap on the car trip. Love and hugs to all back home. I'll take more pics at the Baby House today. We had a battery shortage for the camera but now it is working. Jacqueline

Still Celebrating!

We are up bright and early on Thursday morning to prepare for visiting Daniyar and to take him for some photos for his travel paperwork. We also were asked to buy him a jacket to wear until he gets to come to the US. Apparently he has outgrown his old one and this has made him quite sad. They tried to give him a larger one but he wants one with a hood like his old one. Shopping...that's right up my alley!
We have to leave for Almaty on Friday to complete some paperwork and then we will fly home on Sunday. Sad to only have one more day of visits but eager to count down our 15 day waiting period and prepare to get our boys back together. Some pics of our City Plus celebration and our Kazakh tea party.

The Verdict is ....

Yes! We have a new Gray in the family. Announcing Daniyar Adam Gray! The judge was ill so we had to arrive for court and the process was short. He announced the decision to approve our adoption application. We are off to the City Plus to celebrate with some bumper car riding and dinner. I'll type more later. We are on top of the world. Thanks to all that have supported us. Jacqueline

Court Day

We are up early trying to do some last minute court preparation while Collin is still sleeping. We will be glad to get this day behind us. It has been a bit of a whirlwind since we landed. We have gotten to visit the Baby House once Monday and twice yesterday. Collin and Daniyar played so well together. Collin really likes Mika, our interpreter, who will watch him while we are in court today (we will have a different interpreter today for court). Collin had fun at the City Plus arcade yesterday, especially enjoying the bumper cars. They go much faster than the ones at Kings Island so he just loves them.
We think we will be in Taldy Korgan through Friday, then back to Almaty for a couple of days to prepare for our trip home and to work on some paperwork.
We are thinking of everyone back home. Please know we wish we could be with our family in Indiana as I was just told of a very ill family member that is in our prayers. We will try to stay posted through my sister Jennifer and visit when we make it back home.
Hope to be able to give good court news this afternoon. Jacqueline

We are here!

We just got our internet going but wanted to let everyone know we are safe in Taldy Korgan. Daniyar and Collin are playing very well together with a lot of hugs. We had good flights except Collin got an earache but now seems to be doing ok. This will be short as we have to prepare for court tomorrow but I promise pics later. We will hope to post good news tomorrow. Hi to all! Keep us in your prayers. Jac, Ed, Collin and Danny

Planning trip #2!

We received a court date of September 9th at 10:00 am. We will be leaving on Sept 5th and returning Sept 13th. We are excited to have a date to see Daniyar again. Collin is especially excited to see Kazakhstan and his new brother.
It has been a busy week and a half back. We were lucky to have family in town when we returned and got to see our Louisiana crew and Mom and Bill. I have been back at work and Ed has been busy getting updated documents together and doing travel planning.
Looking forward to posting more pics from our second trip! Jacqueline

Final Post for First Trip

We are packing up the apartment and will leave for Almaty this morning. I had a tearful night last night as we said goodbye for a while to Danny. I will miss that little guy so much. We will now be in the difficult situation of having 2 sons halfway around the world from each other. Today I woke up focused on getting home to Collin and our family and friends, knowing that we are one day closer to all being home together. We fly out of Almaty at 3 in the morning and after 28 hours will be back in Ohio. Here are a few more pics from the trip. I don't think we will have computer access until we are home so we'll sign off for now. Jacqueline

Last day in Taldy

We are trying to remain positive about preparing to leave Taldy. We got to take Danny out of the baby house this morning and visited a museum and the park. He once again rode the train twice. Looks like we will have two train fans on our hands. He and some of his group have a cold now but he still seems energetic. This afternoon we will go for ice cream and maybe back to the park since he didn't want to leave this morning. We are hoping the time between trips is quick and know that this is the way the adoption must be done even though we are very sad to leave him. We will try to focus that we are one step closer to getting him home and that we will see Collin and the rest of our family very soon. Here are some morning pics!

Busy Day!

This will be a short note because it is late and we had a busy day. We had to prepare some pictures for the adoption process detailing our visits to the baby house on all of the required days. We also wanted to get in some shopping at the bazaar over lunch. Mika and Gulnara treated us to a nice lunch of Kazakh hot dogs and spicy mustard. They were good, sausages in a pastry shell. We had to complete paperwork and meet with the local dept of education this afternoon. We did still get in some good visit time with Danny today. The group had a lot of fun playing with balls this morning. We played outside under the trees a lot this afternoon. Gulnara and Mika came over for a spaghetti dinner tonight. We are getting excited to be home soon but sad to have our last day with Danny tomorrow. More tomorrow, Jacqueline

Sunglasses and City Plus

It is hard to believe we are down to our last week of this trip. We spoke to Collin tonight. He sounded happy to have Aunt Jen, Uncle John, Grandpa, Zachary and the cousins, Evan and Aidan in town to play with. No crying today! It sounds like he is having fun playing putt-putt and going to the zoo. I just can't wait to hug him!

We had a fun day with Danny too. We stayed at the baby house this morning and took a walk with the group. Danny kept stealing my sunglasses and putting them on everything, the stuffed rabbit, the trees, his belly. Then he would hide them behind his back and say "where are the glasses?" in kazakh. He would crack up when I pretended to look for them everywhere until he pulled them out and waved them in the air. This afternoon it was very hot so we went back to the City Plus arcade area (air conditioning-never thought I would appreciate it so much). He got brave enough to ride the large carousel horses and even drove the bumper car himself (with some steering by Ed). He is really starting to understand some of our English and tries so hard to talk to us. It's late, will sign off with some pics. Jacqueline

Danny's first mountain picnic

We have had a very fun and adventurous weekend. Saturday night we went to a children's playland with an arcade, carousels, bumper cars and a climbing center. Ed lost (and found) his cell phone in the ball pit. Danny just couldn't decide what to do next. His favorite ride was the bumper cars. He had a grin a mile wide zipping around the track and bumping (or almost bumping) other cars. He had another serving of ice cream to top it all off. I think he ran it off between the rides.

Today we were treated to a picnic in the mountains with Karim, his wife Anna, their infant daughter Linara, and of course, Mika and Danny. After about an hour drive through a road that became bumpier, more narrow and finally gravel, we ended up in a beautiful clearing with a mountain stream and gorgeous wildflowers. We spread out blankets and the kids played while Karim cooked shashlik (shish ka bobs) and Anna chopped fruit and vegetables. Dessert was a watermelon cooled in the mountain stream. Just as we were finished, it started to rain and we rode home a little wet but happy. More tomorrow, Jacqueline

Under the trees, under the basket

It seems that Danny's bottom is very popular. By far the most comments we have gotten! Thanks to each of you for sharing our trip. Cousin Kim, put your email address in the next comment so I can email you back! Some have asked when we expect to bring Danny home. We will go home on Friday, come back for court in about 1 month or so, then go back home to wait for Danny's paperwork to travel, then a third trip to bring him home. Puts us in October probably. Taldy is a 3 trip region now.
Today we played with the "Ymit gruppa" under the trees for a while. Then back to the toy room for a while. I think we get to go to the little mall area this afternoon with a children's play area and arcade, merry go round. We thought about the park but it is very hot today so maybe tomorrow. I'll try to add outing pics this evening. Yes we are lucky we get to leave the baby house and have 2 visits a day. I think it varies from region to region but sounds similar to other families that have adopted from Taldy. Jac