Keep Trying

Snow and Holiday Spirit

2010-12-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

I just realized I have not posted in months. Wow, time is flying. This will be a semi-short one to say we are enjoying the hustle and bustle of the Holidays. The boys are so excited and can't wait for 11 more days to pass. We had a fun pizza party with Aunt April for her birthday last night. Our tree is decorated and we have 4 inches of snow on the ground. It looks like a winter wonderland. Here is a photo of the boys with Santa.
Daniyar wants to know where Santa is every waking moment. He wants a Thomas train that stops and goes (remote controlled) from Santa. He was our chief tree decorator with most ornaments between 2 and 3 feet off the ground but we don't have a designer tree anyway.
Collin wants anything and everything Star Wars related. We are having many light saber duels and storm trooper shootouts these days. He's a little worried about getting a lump of coal (or "wump of coaw" as he says.) Some days rightfully so!
We have officially seen Polar Express 20 times now with many re-enactments of the hot chocolate scene lately. The boys were dancing around the kitchen with their mugs and Daniyar even acted out the knee slide quite well. He also does a mean train hobo from the movie with the Santa hat on. Collin likes to quote the "stinkin underwear" part a lot. We are in the potty words stage for sure. His Thanksgiving thanks were for Star Wars and armpits (probably really Star Wars and armpits because it is a funny word.)
They are both on clothing kicks. Only superhero, star wars or toy story shirts will do. Daniyar will wear khaki pants with elastic waists only. Do all kids do this? You'll see, they wouldn't even budge for the Santa photo.
Happy Holidays! Hope yours are as joyful as ours. Jacqueline

Scars

2010-08-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about how our family came together. I usually post to keep family and friends updated on our boys and our day to day lives. This post is a little different, as I hoped to reach out to families thinking about or in the adoption process. Maybe our boys will inspire other families.

It started as I was bathing the boys the other day. That is about the only time I can see both of their scars at the same time. Of course Daniyar's scars are always visible. Collin's scar hides beneath his shirt most of the time. I thought that if my boys didn't have those scars, they probably wouldn't be my boys. I don't know the exact reasons their birth parents decided that adoption was the best path for their birth children. I do know that Collin had symptoms of congestive heart failure when he was found and probably appeared very ill. Daniyar had a birth defect very costly to repair in his country, if the resources are available at all.

I started to think of when I was a child and pictured my family. My children looked like me in those daydreams, and didn't have scars. Nobody pictures their children with scars, missing or malformed limbs or ears, vision or hearing loss, birthmarks or lazy eyes. But children come with these things. Maybe my boys can inspire some parents to open their hearts to these kids. It is so much more difficult for children in orphanages with medical needs to find families. Certainly the needs vary a lot. Collin has an annual trip to the Cardiologist and no limitations. Daniyar will need multiple surgeries, intensive speech therapy, orthodontics, etc. But all of this is still just a little part of who they are and the joy they bring to us.

Perhaps a child with medical needs would fit right in your family. You may be their only chance for a loving family. They have so much love to give.

Balloons and Blue Angels

2010-07-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

We had an aviation themed weekend. Friday night there was a hot-air balloon show and competition locally. We got to participate in a tethered balloon ride and some carnival rides for the boys. The balloon launch was beautiful. After giant ice-cream cones, the boys about fell asleep on the ride home.
Saturday included a short trip to Kings Island amusement park (15 minutes away so we go often).
Sunday we went to the Dayton Air show as Collin has a fascination with the Blue Angels. As it turned out, he enjoyed the kid's tent with the legos more but the adults loved the Blue Angels' performance. We even got a cooling rain sprinkle mid-show.

Fantastic Florida

2010-07-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on vacation. All together we had 14 people there. Both of my sisters, Jen and April, their husbands and kids, Grandpa and Zachary. We spent a lot of time at the beach and the pool. The kids loved the lazy river, kids play area, and catching crabs/fish with nets (we let them go). Even with sunscreen, both boys are quite tan now. We spent a day at the Magic Kingdom and Coco Key Waterpark in Orlando and visited Downtown Disney the day we flew back. It was hard to get them still enough for pictures but here are my best attempts.

An update on the little girl in Kaz. A couple of families still are expressing interest in her adoption-isn't that great! They are waiting on the program to open back up. Hopefully the process will work out for them and they will find their little one without too much of a wait. I am so thankful for all of you that asked about her, even if she did not end up being the right child for your family.

Summer Fun

2010-06-22T05:05:00.000-07:00

We just had a really fun weekend and a nice Father's Day. Daniyar's friend, Jaterius, from preschool invited them to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. They had a great time! We also went to King's Island water park on Sunday for a very hot Father's Day celebration. Collin played so hard he fell asleep on the King's Island train. They enjoyed their new play-doh ice cream and hamburger makers in their jammies.

I thought of fun things each of them have done lately. Daniyar's group in Kazakhstan watched music videos on their tv sometimes and the kids would dance. Sometimes they were hip-hop videos. I think he picked up some dance moves. Out of nowhere, he will turn around, stick out his "booty" and start slapping it while dancing! Kind of funny but also a head-turner. We tried to tell the long story at first but now we just say "we didn't teach him that move!" and redirect him. I'll try to get a picture some time.

Collin (preceded by Daniyar) has had the neighborhood tummy virus recently. We talked a lot about not drinking after each other so we wouldn't "give it" to each other. One day on the potty in mid poo, he said, I want to give this to you mommy or back to Daniyar because I don't want it any more! He thought someone else had to take it for him to get better. I also love the fact he still says "nusic" for music and "mapkin" for napkin, too cute!

We are headed off to Florida this weekend for a fun week with the family. Grandpa, and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins will be there. More pics when we get back!
Jacqueline

Thank you for the responses!

2010-06-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

I appreciate the responses I have had to the post about the little girl waiting. I am happy to share what I can to help this little girl. It is nice to know families are willing to adopt the toddler/preschooler age kids. They are so much fun. So many things are new to them still. I would be happy to talk to any of you via email/phone if you like. I want to protect her privacy of course but would also like to help her find a loving home. I just took a special interest in her and with the help of the Baby House have been trying to be her voice in the US.

Thanks again! Jacqueline

Little girl waiting in Kazakhstan

2010-05-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

Well this blog isn't going to be about my two great kiddos.

I have just had on my mind the sweetest little girl we met when we were adopting Daniyar. She was the only one in his group that was also eligible to be adopted. She is the most beautiful little 3 year old with black hair and gorgeous almond brown eyes. I have been talking to everyone I know that might be interested in becoming her family. The reason she has been passed over is that she had a medical misdiagnosis as an infant and that is so unfortunate. Further testing shows the original diagnosis was wrong. She is also in a town that a lot of US agencies don't place children from. And she is 3 now, an older age than many families seek. I would love to make a place for her in our family but financially we aren't able to right now. If anyone out there has ideas about how to help her find a home, please feel free to email me at jacgray14@yahoo.com. I would love to talk to anyone about her, whether in the adoption process or thinking about it. I think she would be a great daughter for someone. She is well cared for at the Baby House but approaches the age to go to the older children's orphanage and that worries me a lot. And of course, she would thrive in a family of her own. I truly believe Daniyar would not be with us if a special person had not advocated for him and maybe now it is my turn.
On a side note, the boys are great, enjoying summer and looking forward to a visit from Grammy and Pa and cousin Liam's first birthday party. Pics next week from the fun weekend! Jacqueline

Ready for Summer!

2010-05-25T04:37:00.000-07:00

We have had a cold and rainy spring so we are happy to have summertime temps and a lot of sunshine this week. Ed is almost done teaching for the year and the boys have been enjoying time outside. We had a great long weekend trip to see the Gray family and Bonar family at Aunt Libby and Uncle Charles' house in Baton Rouge.
Collin is excited about starting kindergarten this fall. We visited his school for kindergarten registration. He gave the playground a big thumbs up! He is getting so good with his letters and numbers lately. We have had fun riding the local train and going to Kings Island lately.
Daniyar is speaking more daily and seems to understand almost everything we say these days. He is fascinated by fire trucks, airplanes, and any living creature outside. He wants to go out first thing in the morning. He loves to ride on the tractor with Dad.
New pictures, coming right up!

We Are the Truth

2010-04-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

It has taken a few days for me to get enough time to write this post but I feel it is important. In response to the tragedy of a 7 year old child being sent alone to Russia by his adoptive mother, parents have been asked to show the positive side of international adoption. Unfortunately, negative outcomes get more media attention. This is one way to show the world that most international adoptions have good outcomes.

Our boys are doing so well. Daniyar learns new words and phrases daily. He is starting to get comfortable enough with us to melt down sometimes but that too is progress. He was learning so well he was moved to the 4 year old class at preschool. He loves to be outside and asks to go out within 10 minutes of waking up every day. We spend a lot of time at the park. We went to Kings Island amusement park this weekend and he loved the train and the bumper cars the most.

Collin has had a very good week at home. He seems to have discovered the joy of entertaining Daniyar and now uses his silliness to keep Daniyar laughing. He continues to love to draw and we registered for Kindergarten this fall. He is excited about our upcoming trip to Baton Rouge to Aunt Libby's house to see the Gray family and the Bonar family.

We are the truth. Sometimes the transition is hard but these kids are the joy of our lives. Jacqueline

Brotherly Love

2010-03-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to add a couple of pictures of the boys together. Collin seems to have turned a corner in the past week with Daniyar. He now realizes that the nicer he is to his brother, the more fun we all have and the more Daniyar wants to be with him. Of course, they still fight over a toy from time to time but I've seen so much more playing together. Collin was playing dress up again with the very creative underwear, coat and socks look. Daniyar has grown into 3T clothes now and up 2 shoe sizes. You will notice his new haircut. Remember that if you send kids with their father to get a haircut, be sure to specify "Don't shave his head!" I wasn't aware of that requirement. All joking aside, I am thankful that Ed helps a lot with the boys. Daniyar can rock the buzz cut with his cute face. Anyway, it'll grow!

New Pics!

2010-03-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since I've written anything. The boys are doing well. Daniyar seems completely healed up and is talking more and more. His favorite words seem to be oatmeal (still his favorite food!), no, and mine! He loves to sing and has developed a fondness for Barney. We now know all of the Barney songs.
Collin is adjusting slowly and does some very nice big brother things on a regular basis now. He even puts up with Barney on TV when it is Daniyar's turn, even though he would prefer Garfield or Spongebob. He still loves super heroes and telling stories. He is doing great with his letters and writing. We are excited about Kindergarten this fall. Here are some pics taken at the YMCA family gym.

Bad Blogger

2010-01-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

I am sorry for not posting pics and updates sooner. It seems I always have a boy on my lap or we are out and about.
First of all, Daniyar did great with his surgery! It was a hard 5 days in the hospital as he got a gastrointestinal virus also but now he is back to his happy, playful self. His post-op visit was yesterday and everyone was pleased at how well he is healing. He is eating most of his old foods and drinking well. His swelling improves every day and his scabs have finally come off so I'll provide a picture.
We had a very happy season from Daniyar's birthday in November to Christmas, to Collin's 5th birthday January 1st. Truthfully it has all been a blur. Many thanks for all of your prayers and for Grammy coming over to stay with Collin while Daniyar was in the hospital. I'll post pics of my guys, including Collin's very creative ninja outfit complete with a pull-up mask. More pics of Daniyar to follow. I got a new non-broken camera so I'll be a more regular visitor. Jacqueline

Busy Month!

2009-11-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-01T09:21:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-20T02:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-13T04:22:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-10T03:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-15T03:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-12T02:14:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

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 ....

2009-09-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-05T01:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-02T06:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-31T23:41:00.000-07:00

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

Chasing the Cat, Singing and Swinging

2009-07-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we spied the neighborhood cat again. Danny is fascinated and a little scared. Probably good our cat at home isn't too fast. We followed it around on our walk then had a juice break. We sang some songs on the swings and Danny was so cute singing along, kind of lip-sync style. He even did some of the motions to the chicken dance and the hokey pokey, fast learner. We plan a DVD movie and dinner in tonight. Tomorrow is another chance to take Danny around town, maybe the park or mall. Hi to all at work, hope the back to school check ups aren't getting everyone too busy! Jacqueline

Dinner at Assorti, Dogs and Trucks

2009-07-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

Last night Ed and I had a nice dinner out at a restaurant we can walk to called Assorti. We had salmon and steak, and cheesecake for dessert. I thought of my sister and niece when we ate the dessert as that is one of their favorites. Sure miss hearing the voices of everyone back home. They had a piano player and we had a relaxing evening. Usually we just eat in the apartment but we were celebrating being in Kaz for 2 weeks and one week to go until we see our Collin. It will be hard to leave one sweetie here but at least we know that is temporary.

There was a new boy in the Ymit group this morning. He was looking so sad and frightened. How hard it must be for these kids to leave their families at that age. We tried to give him some extra hugs and smiles. We played outside and the kids were very excited to see a big dog and a dump truck while we were outside. We saw the kids with special needs again too. I think Danny must have been with one of those teachers in the past as she talked with him a long time. Danny cried a lot when we had to leave today. They put on bibs before lunch and he kept pulling his off as he knows we have to leave at lunchtime, smart kiddo. Maybe he'll cheer up for the evening visit. We'll add more this evening. Jacqueline

American Pie and Steal the Ring

2009-07-30T00:54:00.000-07:00

Our apartment is right across from the City Plus store and they frequently play loud music into the courtyard and parking lot. Our ritual is to get up early, make coffee, and call our son before he goes to sleep at night. Usually the music is in Russian and is kind of techno pop. This morning we drank coffee to American Pie in the background, kind of surreal to hear a song we understand! Since we are regulars now at City Plus and the staff is getting used to seeing us, maybe they played it for us! Some people seem eager to test their English on us, some laugh a little as we muddle through some basic Russian/Kazakh. Most just look at us with curiosity. The kids seem interested in meeting Americanski people.
We had another good day with Danny. We found a plastic toy ring and he likes teasing us when he swings by throwing it for us to look for or stealing it from our hands. We took a walk with the group and he pouted because he wanted to be carried and not walk. The caregivers want him to walk as he is a little chubby and could use the exercise.
We met one of Danny's previous caregivers today, so sweet. She said her family wanted to adopt Danny but they were "too old". We are thankful for the love he has received here.
One of the local families went home with their baby today after 4 mos of visits. We wished them well as they drove away. We see another local family often and met a new local mother today with a baby. Thanks to those who posted comments and support. It truly is a small world. Jacqueline and Ed

Kaz kid with sense of humor!

2009-07-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

Danny was in such a good mood this afternoon. He laughed so hard when we were swinging he started to "holler" as Ed says. We just kept cracking him up. We did the usual walk in the red buggy and chased the neighborhood cat, collected rocks and put them in bottles. Ed thinks in the course of 9 days he has gone from being a cute kid we met to a part of our family. We can easily picture him back home with us. He is starting to understand some English words, as he nods or shakes no when we ask him if he wants to do some things. Tonight we plan to take a walk, have a quiet night in, maybe read a little. More pics now!

Walk to the Playground

2009-07-29T00:26:00.000-07:00

Just adding a lunch time update today as we got the camera back. The Ymit group took a walk today to a playground for the neighboring apartments. The kids got so excited when we got close they started to run! We assisted with the top of the slide and pushing the swings. We played with toys and danced to a video when we got back until lunch time. Many of the kids feel comfortable with us now and climb on our laps when we sit down. Sometimes Danny gets jealous but he is usually willing to share us for a few minutes. I'll post some pics from yesterday at the park and today. More this evening, Jacqueline

Field Trips and Lollipops

2009-07-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to the City Park on a field trip with the Ymit Group. We all rode on a bus together. The kids had a blast, jumping on the inflatables and riding a little train. We took some great pics, unfortunately, I left my camera at the Baby House tonight and will have to post those pics tomorrow. I'll post some older pics from our first couple of days that I have saved today.

This afternoon we stayed at the Baby House. We took a walk and played on the swings a lot. Danny enjoyed a lollipop while swinging, what a big smile. A happy, sticky mess. It started to rain so we went indoors for a toy session with the group. He was not happy when we left both times today. We hate to hear him cry but I guess that means he likes to be with us.

We had a good talk with Collin today. It seems he is transitioning better today. We thank Jennifer and Aunt Patti for caring for our sweet boy. Wish we could give him ching ching (kisses) right now. Thanks to all who have sent comments and emails. Jacqueline

Escalators and Ice Cream

2009-07-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

We had another fun day today. In the morning we stayed at the Baby House and took a walk with the group. The kids get so excited to see big trucks, cats and dogs, and it even rained a little on us. We had to hustle back to beat the downpour. How we take the little things in life for granted.
For our afternoon visit we were able to take Danny to the City Plus store. It is kind of like a mini-mall with a several stores, an arcade, food and an outdoor inflatable to play on. We rode the little battery operated cars again and took a walk by the Karatal River, then to the playground and had some ice cream. Danny was fascinated by the escalators, riding up and down 6 times. How strange to be 3 1/2 and have your first ice cream.
We found out we won't have hot water in Taldy Korgan for the remainder of our trip, as they are working on the system. We boiled water to heat a tub this morning so getting ready may take a little longer now. It will make us appreciate the comforts of home when we get back.
I'm starting to think in Russian a little. I even told Ed thank you in Russian when we were alone. Now for pics! Jacqueline

Scared of horses, brave about water slides!

2009-07-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

We had a very fun day today. We tried to go ride ponies this morning but it turns out Danny was very afraid of the horses. He covered his eyes with those pudgy hands and wouldn't even look at them so we have no photos I'm afraid. We did enjoy the scenery there with the mountains in the background, so pretty.

On the other hand, he just loved the Aqua Park. We started at the kiddie pool and worked our way up to the water slides. He just kept pointing at the bigger ones and nodding his head so away we went. Our little daredevil. Good thing we have another one of those at home. The water was a little deep at the end so we went under and he just came up laughing. Then we went to the City Plus shopping center with inflatables for the kids to bounce on and little cars, battery operated he could drive. He liked the car the best. I may be surrounded by car lovers one day. I'll add pics. We had a new driver today, Ainur, Karim's brother, took over as Karim had other obligations. We chatted about politics, interesting to see the Kaz side of things. Hope everyone home is OK! Hugs to our family and friends. Jacqueline

Sunday Outings

2009-07-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today we get to take Danny out of the Baby House. We have been cleared to go to a park called the Hippodrome this morning to ride ponies and maybe the Aqua park with pool and water slides this afternoon if the weather is ok. Looks sunny and beautiful outside to me! We have not seen a drop of rain since we were in Almaty. Glad to be here in the summer even if it is hot. Posting a few requested pics of some of the other kids at the Baby House. And of course of our cutie pie. Had a great chat with Jennifer and Collin on the instant messenger and phone today. We are thinking of our family in Indiana as they are having their annual "Wheeler Bash" party this weekend. Hope it is fun! We teased that the only way we would miss it is if we are in Kaz, and here we are! More after the visits, Jacqueline

Sunny Saturday

2009-07-25T01:18:00.000-07:00

It is hard to remember that it is the weekend. Our routine is pretty much the same daily. We get up by alarm to make coffee and call Collin before he heads out for the day. We also chatted online with Jennifer and Collin this morning. That was a little more successful as he was being very silly and just making bird noises on the phone. I think that bird noises mean he is happy, instead of saying Mommy come home now! over and over. I can hardly type that without crying!

On a happy note, Danny seems to be understanding the routine too and is not trying to stay away from his group so much. He didn't cry too much when it was time to go back for lunch today. We took a walk with all of the kids and then played on the playground. We met 2 families adopting infants in the courtyard today, both from Kazakhstan, one from Almaty. Very cute babies. It is nice to see new families being made.

Ed played guitar with a man from Kazakhstan last night. I think he had a great time. He likes to make friends wherever we go. I have enjoyed a little down time to read. I think that I have read more this week than in the past 2 years! More pics from the last 2 days to follow. Jacqueline

Fun In the Sun

2009-07-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

We helped set up a pool for Danny's group. It is called Ymit meaning "hope". We are getting fond of all of his friends already. It is amazing to see so many 2 and 3 year olds that live together 24 hours a day and enjoy each other. Their caregivers are helping us learn about Danny so we can prepare for our time at home. He loves to dance and he is a good helper at cleaning up. He learns new things quickly and always cleans his plate. We even saw him trade his mostly eaten roll for a neighbor's larger one. We'll have to stay active. The children must all wear hats when outside to prevent illness. As you can see, it is hot and there is no air conditioning so some visits the underwear serves as cool playclothes or swimsuits! Hi to our family, friends, co-workers and especially our Collinator, the "aha" or big brother in Kazakh.

Internet Working!

2009-07-24T01:53:00.000-07:00

We finally got our internet working today. After our third visit from some computer help we have a laptop that works! I will try to post some pics. We are getting ready for our second visit today. We go from 10-12 am and 4-6:45 pm. He takes a lunch and nap in between. We set up an outdoor pool for his group today so we will get to see them swim this afternoon. There are 11 in his group. We miss Collin and hope he is well. He sounded good on the phone today, even joking today. We'll try to post more after the swim party. Susan andRos, the caregivers say Hello and ask of Mukan and Cameron a lot. More later, Jacqueline

Fun Day at the Baby House

2009-07-23T05:54:00.000-07:00

We had a really great day with Danny today. He was all smiles when we walked in and gave us big hugs all day long. He gets very sad when we have to take him back to the group. He has the best smile! It just lights up his whole face. He loves to ride in the Buggy around the sidewalks. Everyone knows him there. Even the construction workers wave and greet him by name. It has been beautiful weather, sunny and dry. We are working on getting an outdoor pool for the group to splash in as the Baby House is under renovations and the pool inside is closed. The children in his group are so sweet! They are warming up to us and come up for hugs and to show us their toys. They like to dance to Indian music a lot. We hope to get the telephone company out to the apartment tomorrow so they can get our internet going. Then we can post pics. If not, then I'll put some photos on a disc to post here at the internet cafe. We wish you could see us!

Of course, we are missing Collin every minute of the day but he sounds happy on the phone. He keeps saying, come home now! For any family reading this, feel free to give him a cheer up call if you get the chance.

We really love our group here. Gulnara, our facilitator, has gone out of her way to make us comfortable. Her daughter, Mika, has been our interpreter. She is great with the kids and so smart and friendly. Our driver, Karim, is friendly and very helpful in errands for us. They all are glad Danny is going to have a family.

We had a nice dinner out last night. We can walk to a little mall, City Plus, with a grocery, toy store, clothing and restaurants, movies. Of course, we can't understand the movies so we haven't done that. It is fun to people watch. The Kazakhstan people are beautiful. Everyone dresses so nicely, women in dresses and heels every day. No tennis shoes here!

I'll sign off until tomorrow with pics. Jacqueline

Bonding is going well!

2009-07-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry we have not posted more. We are not able to get internet access at our apartment yet. We have stopped by an internet cafe for a few minutes to make some short posts.

"Danny" is doing very well with the bonding. He is so cute, such a big belly! His nickname at the baby house is "Donut". He runs to give us hugs when we walk in and cries when we leave. I will try to post more tomorrow. Jacqueline

Vote for Pedro! In Almaty

2009-07-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

We made it to Almaty just after midnight in the wee hours of Sat am. It is very pretty here, mountain peaks just outside of town and pretty trees and flowers in town. After the first leg of our flight, we did get our visas at the Newark airport via a courier named Pedro so he is our favorite person in NJ now. We wanted to hug him. So the title above refers to a character in Napoleon Dynamite if you have seen that movie. We got to the Hotel Kazkakhstan late and and slept hard. this morning we got a walking tour of Almaty with Mika, Gulnara's daughter and exchanged money, went to the internet cafe. We had a very nice breakfast at the hotel and ate lunch with Tatyana, hamburgers and french fries, very American. We took a long jet lag driven nap and then are out now using the internet again and going to a restaurant at the hotel called Guns and Roses. We will post pics when we are using our laptop and not the internet cafe because can't figure that out right now. The Russian I took in college is helpful. I can sound out a lot of the words on signs. My speech is not so good though. Just the basics.

We are missing our Collin like crazy already and can't wait to see him again. Many thanks to Jennifer for keeping in touch and taking such good care of him.

We drive to Taldy Korgan tomorrow morning to our apartment. We get to go to the Baby House to meet "Danny" after that on Monday. I can't believe we are finally here! Gulnara says he is waiting and excited to meet us too.

We'll sign off for now. It is a little surreal being here but exciting to be so close and in a new country. We'll add more with pics tomorrow! Jac and Ed

Thanks to those who have helped us!

2009-07-14T02:52:00.000-07:00

I wanted to add a special thanks for all of those who have helped us get this far.

Our families that have offered love, financial support, child care and just being there. Thanks for supporting us and loving our kids.

Susan Collins and family made that special effort to reach out to a family they didn't know. Without her going the extra mile we wouldn't be making this trip.

Rosamond Helms for giving us invaluable help with planning this trip and for taking gifts to "Danny". We are so happy her family is together with Mukan.

Regina, Olga, Tatyana, and Gulnara at our agency. They took a chance with us and we couldn't be more happy.

Our co-workers that have accommodated time off work, trips to the notary, Secretary of State, Sheriff's office, and hugs and tears. Thanks.

FTIA, Amanda, (and my FTIA blog friends) for allowing us to put our Ethiopian adoption on hold so that we could try again to get "Danny" home to us. Maybe there will be a trip to Africa in our future some day.

2009-07-14T02:39:00.001-07:00

We have dates to travel! We get to meet our "Danny" in less than one week. We will be in Kazakhstan from July 16 to Aug 7th. Collin will be staying with Jennifer, a friend, then Patti, his aunt, then my sister Jen. We are scrambling to pack, get the house ready, prepare Collin, and prepare trip paperwork. It is hard to believe this is actually going to happen. I am still waiting for permission to post pics of "Danny"on the blog. I will do so as soon as we get the "go-ahead". Signing off for now to get ready for work.

Our Family

2009-05-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

I am starting this blog to detail the adoption of our second son. My name is Jacqueline Gray. My husband, Ed, and I have a wonderful son, Collin, age 4. We found out adoption was the best option for becoming parents in 2006. We worked with Graceworks Lutheran Services out of Cincinnati, Ohio and Families Thru International Adoption to adopt Collin from China in October 2006. He has been the joy of our lives. We always planned to have at least 2 children so we started the adoption process again fall 07. After the homestudy we looked at many options. We no longer met China's adoptive parental age requirements so we considered other countries. We started with Vietnam only to find out we would not finish prior to a likely hold on adoptions. We changed to the Kazakhstan program December 2007 and immediately felt drawn to a waiting child on the Children's Hope International list. He was then 25 mos old with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and so sweet! In August 2008 we got devastating news that our entire dossier was sent back asking for a homestudy revision. We looked to change agencies and were told by many not to pursue a Kazakh adoption due to parental age concerns. With heavy hearts we started an Ethiopian adoption with FTIA, thinking maybe Kazakhstan adoption could not happen for us. We were contacted by Susan Collins from Taldy Korgan, Kazakhstan when she was there for her adoption of son Cameron. She remembered our story and told her agency about our past. They agreed to work with us to finish his adoption! We put our Ethiopian adoption on hold and started working on another Kazakhstan dossier. It is now on it's way to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Astana, Kazakhstan. Follow along as we hope to bring our son home this year.