Rasberrys are a big hit!

Lots of pictures today! (You're welcome Mom) I managed to get as close to a smile as I seem able with the camera stuck in his face! The days are very much "Groundhog Day" like (for those of you who have not seen the movie -- Bill Murray gets stuck having his days repeated over and over again).

We ended somewhat early because we had a short discussion with Dr. Natalia regarding court (date still to be determined).

Jackson definately naps from 11a - Noon, and eats at Noon. Today he took the first half of his bottle while he was still sleeping -- definatly all man!

Paka, Paka (bye, bye) from Kokshetau

Kristi

Meeting Dr Natalia

Today was our 4th visit with the baby's. We visit each day from 10am to Noon, and each day we visit, the 2 hours becomes even more short!

I was able to visit today with Dr. Natalia. She is the head doctor at the Maternity Hospital here, and also our coordinator for court.

When she walked in today, Jackson was asleep on my shoulder (it's looking like he naps each day from 11am to Noon when he gets a bottle), and she said "what a beautiful picture".

She reviewed his medical history with me while he slept, and I was able to ask her some questions to clarify. Jackson woke up towards the end of our visit, and I was able to snap a picture with Dr. Natalia and him together.

I found out today that Dr.Natalia gave Jackson his birth name, which is Beibol. It is a Kazak name which means "big man" -- very fitting don't you think!!



One more picture for today. This was actually taken yesterday during our tour of town. There is a large lake on the edge of town were locals go to ice fish. Below you can see them with there tents out on the lake waiting for the days catch. If it looks like it's freezing, that's because it was!!

Can you fall in love in 2 days?

I don't know how else to say it -- he's perfect in every way! Beibol (AKA Jackson) is very curious about everything around him. I haven't been able to get many pictures of him smiling because he just becomes enthralled with the camera whenever he sees it!



Jackson's primary care giver is pictured with him below. Her name is Helen.


We took a long tour of the city today, and saw many things. One is the mosque below. It is a newer mosque that is built on the outskirts of the city. Kokshetau is a beautiful city - much larger than I expected it would be. Here are some pics from our tour today...

Our 2nd Date -- and Jackson brought a girlfriend!

Today was even better than yesterday! Nothing but giggles and squeels! We visit once a day from 10am - Noon, and get to give them their lunch time bottles right before we leave.

I'm saying we, because we share out visits with another family who is there to adopt their little girl. She obviously has a thing for Jack as you can see from the picture below!



I found out on my first visit that we will need to bring a change of clothes each day. In addition, Jack's a big guy -- I'm guessing he's right at about 19 pounds, so the clothes I brought are none too big! We'll be able to go shopping on Monday to see if I can find a few more things.

He is extremely happy, and very curious about everything around him. He doesn't seem to be crawling yet, but it's clear he will be mobile soon!

Well, more news tomorrow!

Big Guy With Red Cheeks!

No reason to keep everyone waiting! Here he is!! And look at those cheeks! I suspect he has an allergy to milk, but the doctor did not seem concerned, and he's as happy as can be!

It has been a very long emotional day, so I'm going to leave you all with the picture below, and I promise I'll provide more details tomorrow!

Paka Paka from Kokshetau!

December 9, 2004

I arrived safely in Kazakhstan at about 11:30 pm last night. Both legs of my Lufthansa flight (ATL to Frankfurt, and Frankfurt to Almaty) were outstanding, although long! The first leg was about 8 hours, followed by a 4 hour layover, and then a 7 hour flight to Kazakhstan.The temperature is pleasant here in Almaty (I'm guessing 40 degrees F), but will get much colder as we head to Kokshetau. One of the women at the office today said "It's really Siberia" -- woo hoo!!! For those of you wondering how my foot is doing since my fall of the ladder the day before I left, here are 2 words -- nothing's broken! I managed to get into the doctor on the 6th, they took a couple of xrays, and could not find any broken bones -- just a very bad contusion, so it's purple, but it's all in one piece! It did bother me during the flight over, but today it is much better -- shouldn't be an issue after a week or so.I did go to my agencies offices here in Almaty today. The people there are fantastic. I spent most of the time with Gulzhan (she is a lawyer), who is pleasant, and very very funny!I will meet some WPA friends tonight for dinner at Mad Murphy's Irish Pub (yes, that's right -- irish pub!), and then will leave tomorrow afternoon for Kokshetau where I will meet Jackson!Please check back on the 10th after Noon or so, and you should be able to see out first picture together!Until Tomorrow!Kristi

December 6, 2004

Well -- less than 24 hours to go! (actually 23.5 hours -- but who's counting!!). Surreal only begins to describe the way I fell when I realize that I leave tomorrow! I'm packed (thanks Mom) and I'm ready!Here's one for those of you that know my ever amazing level of coordination....yesterday morning, 8 foot ladder, me -- about 1/2 way up -- and then a beautiful slow motion fall straight to the nice hard cement garage floor!! I was certain that I'd broken my foot, but the doctor today told me that everything still appears to be in one piece -- a doozy of a contusion to the arch and the top of my foot -- but no broken bones to be found on either xray film!So! Can you believe it? Me either!! I'm fine though -- sore, but fine. So tomorrow afternoon, I leave ATL for Frankfurt, Germany and then I am off to Almaty, Kazkhstan where I will arrive slightly before midnight on the 8th.I may post from an internet cafe in Frankfurt and/or Almaty, but you more than likely won't hear from me until the 10th or 11th after my first meeting with Jackson!

November 25, 2004

One week & 6 days until I leave to meet Jackson! I've packed, re-packed, and re-packed again! I'll have 1 large suitcase (which at this time weighs 59lbs!), 1 large duffle bag (weight unknown), the camera / camcorder bag, and a diaper bag backpack! I'll be gone 43 days (oh my!), and greet 2005 with my new son! I'll post one more time before I leave (on DEC. 7th), and then hope to begin posting daily starting on the 10th or 11th of December.Thanks again to all of my friends & family who have been so supportive during this time. Not everyone is able to grasp the idea of a single mother adopting a child, so for those of you who have supported me, -- I thank you -- it means the world to me.

November 8, 2004 -- Travel Dates!

I just got a call from my coordinator -- I'm due in Kazakhstan on December 9th! I hope to be able to start updating the travel journal sometime around the 10th -- so start checking back then!

October 29, 2004 **BIG UPDATE!!**

....it happened exactly like they said it would -- when I least expected it, and in my case, how I least expected it.I'd taken a vacation day, not doing much, just enjoying a long weekend, when I decided to send my adoption agency's director a question via email -- her initial response was the answer to my question, but it was what was in the next sentence that took my breath away...."AND, we have a referral for you!"So as of yesterday, Thursday, October 28, 2004 I have officially accepted the referral of a very handsome, baby boy from Kazakhstan! I cannot tell you very many specifics (to protect the integrity of the adoption), but I can tell you that he's somewhere in the 4-5 month old range, is very healthy, and is simply the most handsome baby I've ever seen!My travel guesstimate is in the January timeframe, but there is a very small chance that I could leave as early as the beginning of December.I'll continue to update while I wait to travel, and then every day once I'm in country! So please follow along!More in a few weeks!Kristi
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October 16, 2004

Well, I'll admit -- the waiting is getting difficult. Although in my mind I had always set my sites on October, in my heart, I leaned towards listening to all the signs that indicated it might be sooner. I'm now officially 4 days away from the 8 month mark, and no news yet. I did find out that a rather large group of referrals did come in yesterday, but it does not appear that my boy was in them -- it does mean though that I'm that much closer .I told myself the other day -- if I were giving birth to this baby, he still wouldn't be here yet -- so I have a new appreciation for all those women who go through 9 months of waiting!I'm packed (actually I've done that a few times), I'm waiting, I'm ready, and I'm sure that these next few months will go by quickly with the holidays, a possible Thanksgiving visit from Dad and Nan, amd Mom's moving to ATL.I'll update as soon as I hear anything -- keep praying!Love,Kristi

September 15, 2004

I can't believe it's September already! These last 7 months really have gone by fast! I'm sure you're all wondering -- "Have I heard anything yet?" Well, no, not yet. While I'm still hopeful that I may be able to travel this year, it's not looking good at this point. If I don't have a referral by the end of September, it's probably not going to happen this year. So I have 15 days left for that chance.Even so, if I don't get to go until January, the airfares will be much cheaper! I did get the nursery painted and put back together! Look under the Misc. Pictures link on the Home page to see it. I think it turned out great! Everytime I go in there, I think "this kid has the nicest room in the house!"That's really about it, lots of hoping, praying, and waiting going on -- maybe you all could join me?Until next month...
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August 15, 2004

I'm still waiting for that big phone call, but all indications are it really could happen at any time. My gut instinct is it's still about 5 weeks or so away, although I could be totally wrong, and it still could take until the end of October. Some of the people now getting referrals are not very far ahead of me -- so with any luck, I'll be one in one of the next two or three groups of people to get their referrals.So I'm re-checking all my paperwork, making sure I've bought all my donations and gifts so that when I do get the call it won't be too crazy trying to get things done before I travel.I'm still putting off painting the babys rooms, but hopefully in next months entry I can say that it's done! That's really about it, but keep checking back -- I may very well be updating before the 15th of next month!

July 13, 2004

Two words -- still waiting. I did find out after last months post that my dossier did get translated, and was sent on to the Kaz Consulate in NY on June 4. My dossier will stay there until approximately August 4, and then will be sent back to the my agencys partners in Kaz to wait for my actual referral.It is still possible that I could get a referral before August 4th though. I've had this "feeling" lately that it's "close" -- call it mothers intuition -- who knows.In the meantime, I wait, and try not to think about it much (yea -- right!). I did recently agree to sponsor a young man in Kaz who has spent his life in orphanges, and is trying to complete college. I have agreed to pay for his remaining years in college and send him a small amount of money for monthly expenses, and am truly blessed to be able to help him in this way. That's it for now. If I hear anything before next months update, I'll put some sort of announcement on the home page so that you know to look in the journal.

June 8, 2004

Well, it's June -- and still waiting. No word yet on if my dossier has been translated and sent back to the U.S., until I have a referral, this may not happen, so not terribly unusual.I did have the honor of my first baby shower last weekend! Since my timeline is so up in the air right now, and all of my family is back in Ohio, sooner seemed like a good idea. So I packed the dogs up, and made that wonderful 9 hour drive to the big OH. I was able to work during the week from our office in Dublin, so it all worked out great. The shower was wonderful, hosted by my Mom and our friend Anita Patterson. It was fantastic to see people I hadn't seen in a while, and I was shocked and thrilled when Deb Drum, my close friend who lives in West Palm Beach Florida showed up to join us! It meant quite a lot, and I still can't believe she was crazy enough to make the trip! So we all had a great time, talking, and spending about an hour talking about the adoption and all of the things that go with it.I am happy to say that the beloved car seat was one of my gifts, so that was a huge load off my mind! So once again I end this months entry by saying that yes, I still do hold my breath every time the phone rings! Also, if someone knows a psychic, could you send me their number?Until next month, keep those fingers crossed!

May 2004

It's May 10th, and yes, I do now find myself holding my breath every time the phone rings! Since the last update, 2 things have happened. First, I received email confirmation from the American Embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan that they did indeed receive the update on my approved 171H from the Department of Homeland Security. Doesn't seem like much, but it's pretty cool to know that someone there knows for sure that I'm coming! They even commented that they look forward to meeting me in Kazakhstan (yes, I'm sure it was a form letter, but let me just pretend that I'm special!). The second happening, was that my final dossier was sent to Kazakhstan on April 22nd to be translated.The process that my dossier follows for the remainder of it's trip is that once it's transalated, it will be sent back to my agency here in the U.S, then they will forward it on to the Kazakhstan Embassy in New York. Once there, it must stay for 60 days -- no less (don't ask), and then will be sent BACK to Kaz to the Ministry of Education, who keep it for about a week, and then forward it to the city where my adoption will take place (at this point, still unknown).All this means there is still much to happen before this process comes to an end, but I assure you that for me, the hardest part has just started. The wait! Although I've heard from other parents the wait for a referral is only a little less agonizing than the wait for your travel dates.So with all that said, I wait, knowing that the next ring of the phone could be "the one", but also recognizing that each day I wait is one day closer to that magic moment!So help me out -- cross your fingers and wish really hard! Until next time, peace, love, and happiness!

April 2004

April -- Aahh April. The month I got my 171H!! What's a 171H you ask? It's the official form the US government sends when they've approved you to return to the USA with an orphan -- and I can't get back from Kazakhstan without it (well I could, but there wouldn't be a baby with me).This month has also included becoming "paper ready" that essentially means that all of my forms and paperwork have all of their required approvals, and are now in the hands of the Kazakhstan embassy in NYC.The biggest news of the month is that it's looking like my referral -- which I didn't think would come until October -- will potentially be received anytime between MAY and OCTOBER! My adoption coordinator called me a couple of weeks ago and told me "don't be surprised if you get a referral fairly quickly". When I asked her if she could be any more specific, she unfortunately said no, and then said "it could be as quickly as 1-2 months"! Holy crap! So it's good that I've got the crib ready to go! The bad part about the above news is that it still could take until October -- there's just no telling. If nothing else in this journey I've learned that nothing is within your control, and you just have to learn to roll with the punches -- I'd say that's probably a good lesson regardless!Until next month, be safe!

March 2004

I'm re-writing my activities during March 2004 because in an overzealous attempt to get my journal ready for my travels to Kazakshstan, I deleted all of March!March saw the completion of my Home Study visits, fingerprinting by the BCIS (also known as the INS, or The Department of Homeland Secuirty), and the gathering of the remaining documents for my homestudy (local police clearence checks, medical exams, and letters from my employer, and bank).I managed to complete the gathering of all information needed by both Families First, and World Partners Adoption, and spent the remainder of March shopping for nursery furnitire (yes, I'm done!). The nursery is now equiped with crib, changing table,. a new rocking chair, and plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of toys, clothes, and other misc. baby items!

Week ending February 1, 2004...

Well, it's finally begun! After months of uncertainty, the journey has officially started! On January 28th, I was notified by the World Partners Adoption organization that they had received my application for adoption! For those of you who don't know, I'm about to have a child! (Well, 'about' is really a relative term!) The road will be a long one -- approximately 11 months from when I sign the contract, until I actually come home with the newest member of our family. Over the coming months, I'm planning on journaling here -- so that all of you can keep in the know, on my journey.In the coming weeks I'll be telling you about the progress of my Home Study, and also my INS paperwork (fingerprints & and other government stuff).I'm more excited than you can begin to imagine!So! The status this week is that I'm just waiting on my final personal references to reach the agency, and then I'll be signing my contract!
Week ending February 8, 2004This week was full of paperwork (something I'm hearing I should get used to!). I managed to complete my I-600A, (which is a government form that requests approval for you to bring an orphan into the U.S), and my initial Home Study packet.I'm using Families First for my homestudy, which basically entails lots of clearances (ie: police background, sex abuse database clearance, etc.), a short autobiography, financial information, and several visits to my home by a social worker. The I-600A will kick off another process which will allow me to submit my fingerprints to the FBI for a background check, this process as a whole takes the longest out of anything I'll be doing (6weeks to 3 months), depending on the backlog.Hopefully I'll have more news next week on my contract, and my first home visit from the social worker.

Week ending February 15, 2004...

On Monday the 9th, I mailed both my Home Study application, and my I600A application. On Wednesday I got a call from Families First, and my first visit from the social worker that will be doing my homes study is scheduled for Thursday, February 19th! There will be 3 visits in all, and this first visit will be spent allowing the social worker to view my house, and get to know me a little better.I traveled to Ohio for work this week, and when I got home, I had my contract from World Partners Adoptions waiting for me! That means that all of my personal references have been received and approved, and the agency is willing to accept me as a client. I will be signing and returning my contract early next week, and that will officially allow me to be put on the agencys waiting list for a child. It will take about 8 months for me to receive a referral of a child.I'll let you know next week how the first visit with Families First goes!

Week ending February 22, 2004

Well, this week brought my first visit from the social worker who is doing my homestudy. We met on Thursday evening at my house. Most of the time for this first session was spent getting to know each other. We talked about how I came to decide on adoption, what experience I have with kids, what I know about adopting internationally, and then Cathy (that's her name!) gave me lots of good info. on resources here in Atlanta who will be able to help me with any issues I encounter.I am very impressed with how many resources are available. There are several agencys here in Atlanta who offer courses specific to the issues you encounter when adoptiing (both domestically and abroad).We have scheduled my next visit with Cathy for Wednesday the 25th -- there will be 3 visits in all, the final one probably being the week after next. At that point, it should only take 1-2 weeks to finish up the official written homestudy and forward onto my adoption agency.I did get some disappointing news this week -- it used to be that the Georgia INS would allow you to get your fingerprints done for your I600A prior to having your homestudy -- they've now decided that can't happen, so I'll have to wait until my homestudy has been sent to them (INS) before I can be fingerprinted. Completion of the I600A will then take about 90 days.Oh! I almost forgot -- my contract was received, and I'm officially on the waiting list!