We Got A New Camera!

We recently bought a new digital camera and have been having a blast taking tons of JJ pics. He is growing bigger every day and surprising us with what he is learning. His new word is Jay-Jay, which he says in a long, drawn out way. It is too funny. His hair is super curly, but a little too long and he kinda has the old man come-over look going - actually it's not so much as a come over as it is a comb front. Regardless, we are ready to take him for his first cut. This should be fun - Ugh! JJ at dad's work party. There were John Deere's everywhere!

We tried and tried to get JJ to put on this big, furry winter hat that Jerret picked up in China. It actually looks more like something you would find in Russia. JJ didn't care for it too much.

We actually got the hat on him at this point, although you can't really see it with our dark couch in the background.

JJ loves to drink bath water from the cup I use to rinse the soap off of him. It is so interesting because they let him drink from a tin cup in the orphanage so he naturally wants to try and drink from every cup he sees. He also likes to drink from water bottles, although he sometimes gets a little too excited and spills it all down the front of his shirt.

here is a pic of my nephew AJ with JJ and my dad. JJ loves his cousins!

Our Quiet Weekend

We had a nice, relaxing weekend at home although the weather wasn't so nice! Saturday turned bitterly cold and I am sad to report that we have now turned on the heat in the Hartman house.

JJ has recently figured out how to manipulate door handles. The interior doors in our house all have lever handles, which he can just reach and pull down to open. (He can't get outside though because those doors have the round knobs - plus we keep those doors locked at all times). I thought it was so cute how he would try and open all the doors inside the house, until he hit the closet. Once he finally got the closet door open he found all the *cool* stuff we keep in there and decided to drag it all out, piece by piece. I was laughing hysterically at the mess he was making and his "oooohs and aaaaahhhhs" with each find when I saw this...He found my Wal-Mart shoe rack inside the closet and thought it looked fun to play with. I am so surprised it didn't break by this point, and in fact was still laughing with him, having a good old time when the next thing I knew this happened...

Apparently, he didn't like my laughing at him. (Is it totally wrong of me to have snapped a pic before I helped him??)

JJ is doing great and is surprising us daily with new things he has learned. His new love is the Wiggles, and he has made a nightly routine of bringing us the remote control so that we can play the day's episode from TIVO. He knows many of the songs, and although he can't sing them, he definitely knows how to dance to them! He has also recently learned how to play hide and seek, and will put a blankie in front of his face, pull it down and say "Boo!" His vocabulary is still limited to book, ball, balloon, bye, kitty-cat, da-da and mama; but I say - he's still learning English! Aunt B swears he said "shoe" today, but we have yet to hear it. Oh how I wish we had the $$ for another!

We had a nice weekend. I went to an awesome baby shower. For those of you who are long-time blog readers, you know that I cannot stand the huge mega-showers. This one was quite the opposite. Very intimate, yet very informal. We ate right away, a simple menu of stuffed bread sticks and salad, and played one shower game. It was a super creative game called "Guess the pregnant celebrity" where the hostess found 10 pics of celbs when they were preggers. She blacked out the faces and we each had to guess who the person was. The one with the most right answers won (it wasn't me). After our game we made brownie sundaes (YUM!) and ate them while we watched Sarah (the guest of honor) open her gifts. It was seriously the best shower ever!

Toothpaste Really Does Work!

Mom and Dad were busy cleaning the house and decided to pull JJ in the kitchen while we let him tried to feed himself. Thank heavens he was on the tile and not in the dining room where we usually eat, because as you can see, he took this opportunity to dump his food all over the place. I love how he looks at us like he totally knows he is busted.

He is such a happy boy. The white stuff on his head is toothpaste. See - Jerret's work party was Saturday and we were outside for a good 6 hours. The mosquitoes around here have been terrible due to all the rain we've been having and JJ got about 12 bites that night. I was looking for something to stop him from itching when Jerret announced that toothpaste works the best. He said his mom always put it on he and his siblings when they were young. Me, being the skeptic that I am, didn't believe him and had to Google "toothpaste on mosquito bites" before I would give it a try. Low and behold, I found all kinds of ways to stop the itching and toothpaste happens to be one of them (tee tree oil and hemorrhoid cream are among some of the others).

In other news - I had a big win at work this week. There are really only two reasons a proposal writer should ever get excited about work; one is wins and the other is an extension. I happened to get both last week. The win was for the largest job my company has ever been awarded - a $53 million project at Dover AFB. Yeah me!

Already???

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, so here are some new pics of JJ. The first one is of our favorite little onsie given to us by Aunt MaryAnne and Uncle Don. (See below for frontal view).

Here is what the shirt says (and a nice wet mark from his sippie)

I swear I don't think he was scared in this picture.....

Now to business....Is summer over ALREADY? I am trying hard to remember that it is still August and fall doesn't even officially start until Sept. 23 this year, but the rest of the world is trying to convince me that summer is over. I heard my first sign the other day when our neighbor told me they were closing their pool up for the year....What what what?! Did I hear her right??? It's not even Labor Day and we always have 90 degree days in September. But, it is THEIR pool and their prerogative to open and close it as they please so who am I to try and convince them that a dip in the shallow end is going to be just what the doctor ordered when the temps reach 97 this weekend, as forecasted.

Tonight on my walk with JJ I noticed two more signs that the end of summer is near. The locusts were signing in the trees their buzz, buzz, buzz song that is so familiar in this area. The sound is so familiar to me that I tend to ignore it. But tonight I listened and was taken back to being 10 and staying the weekend at dad's house. I'm not sure why, but every time I hear the locusts I think about his house.

The third sign was the fact that it was 7:45 and the sun was setting! One of my most favorite things about summer is the longer days and sitting outside until 9:00, not having a clue what time it is because it could be 5:00 for all you know. The sun is shining and that's all that matters.

And there are more....the school buses that insist on pulling out in front of me each morning, making me afraid to pass and therefore late for work; high school football games on Friday nights; having to put a sweatshirt on when sitting out on the patio at night; wearing long pants to work and not worrying that I am going to be to hot. It happens, I know. But I really am looking forward to the day when we move to a place where snow doesn't happen and year-round swimming does!

In other news...I took JJ to a dermatologist to get to the bottom of these mysterious skin spots that he has had since we brought him home. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, all I can call them are "spots." He has 4 on different parts of his body, and they're not really a rash and I don't think they itch JJ. They just pop out and last about 7-10 days and then subside, living behind only a trace of pigmentation that looks like a tiny brown birthmark. In another 10-12 days they reappear and are bright pink/red and inflamed and again last for 7-10 days and so on. It's a vicious cycle and the docs here can't figure them out. We have been treating them with a steroid cream for a week at a time, but I don't know if that is working because the nature of the "spots" is to come and go at will.

The dermatologist wants to do a biopsy, which I am not all that crazy about. But I do want to get to the bottom of this. His second recommendation was to take Jack to the Ohio State University Medical Center where he worked for 12 years. There they have 2 pediatric derm docs that research stuff like this. Because this is the less invasive option, I am tempted to do this. Besides, Jerret would give his right arm to travel to Columbus during football season.

He Can Walk Ya'll!

Our crawling days are behind us and we are exhausted from chasing this boy around the yard, house, neighborhood, neighbor's yard, etc. Walking didn't just "happen" for us like many of my friends and fellow mommies have said. We worked at it for about 3 weeks and slowly but surely made progress until we no longer had to hold hands when JJ wanted to walk. His first steps looked something like Frankenstein in search of his mother. He held his hands way out in front of him for balance.

Jerret's cousins in Cleveland bought us this little number and sent it to us. I have never seen such a thing in my life, but it is a baby [toddler] urinal called Peter Potty. We aren't quite ready for it yet, but we couldn't resist getting some pics with it.

Besides that, we (or at least I) experienced a trying weekend with the little guy. JJ must not have felt well and was out of sorts for 3 days straight. On Saturday my friend (who's little boy is only 2 days older than JJ), her husband, and baby, Boston, came over to go swimming. As soon as we got in the pool JJ bit Boston on the arm - BAD. When I tried to correct him and ask him to give Boston love he smacked me!!! I even have the scratch across my forehead to prove it. The next day I was at the mall, waiting in line and JJ didn't want to sit in his stroller. At this time I didn't have him strapped in because I had just been holding him and only put him down so I could get into my purse. He scooted all the way down the seat and snuck out of the stroller!! Luckily I was watching him as he made his move, but it just amazes me that he is able to concoct such a plan!

Things seem to be back to normal and he really is such a good boy. He is smart as a whip too. Yesterday we were in the car listening to his Little Einsteins CD and there is a part that tells you to pat your hands on your lap and then raise your hands really high above your head. JJ did both without missing a beat. We do this together at home, but I was blow away to see that he could do this on his own without my holding his arms or hands and helping him. And the fact that he did it all on his own, just by listing and comprehending what the boy on the CD was saying! I think we have a Little Einstein of our own on our hands!! Seriously - I was so impressed that I called my mother in law and told her about my little genius!

That's all for now.......

My Husband Rules!!!!

Jerret is the best husband ever!! He had a HUGE surprise party for my 30th birthday on the 4th. It was a huge luau with leis all around and food and drinks for all. He even had a raffle with give-aways for all the guests. And It WAS a surprise because I totally thought I was going to the Josh Turner concert with my cousins. (I know, it was a disappointment to miss out on Josh, but it was an even better party!)

I walked into his parents backyard to find my entire family and a slew of friends. This was totally the best birthday party I have ever had. He even arranged for my Aunt Cyndi to come and pick JJ up at 9:00 so that we had the rest of our night free. By the end of the night everyone who was left ended up in the pool. It was a blast. Here are a few pics (and yes, I did enjoy a few adult beverages -hence the Miller Light in my hand)...

New JJ Pics

Ok, so we're a tad camera happy in this family. Below are some recent pics of JJ enjoying his summer. He loves being outside - and loves the pool even more!

Kool Aid Popsicles and General Hospital

Jerret is always teasing JJ about what a sweet life he has. Babies – or at least the lucky ones – have it made with someone to feed, bathe, and diaper them; someone to hold them when they’re tired, and hug them when they are sad; someone to kiss their boo boos and make the pain disappear with the magic of a band-aid. But it’s not just JJ…being a kid is sweet, period. And being a kid is even better in the summertime.

Watching as the kids in the neighborhood ride their scooters down the middle of the street and share stories while strolling down the sidewalk takes me back to a time when I too had little more to worry about than finding a friend to play outside with, or what teacher I was going to have when school started in September.

I remember the days of Kool-Aid Popsicles made in an ice cube tray and 25-cent lemonade stands to help beat the heat.

I remember begging my mom to call my aunt Charlene and ask if we could come over and swim as they were one of the few lucky enough to have a pool.

I remember staying at Grandma’s house for weeks at a time and watching her sit on the couch peeling potatoes as the theme to General Hospital played in the background, signaling that it was 3:00 and Grandpa was on his way home.

I remember mom making popcorn in a pan on the stove and not even having a microwave.

I remember when it was a treat to go to McDonald’s, and you were even luckier if you were allowed to eat inside!

I remember when visits to the ice cream store were a rare occasion and a vanilla cone with eyes and sprinkles put a smile on everyone’s face.

I remember playing t-ball on a team where we wore matching t-shirts and hats, but jeans rather than baseball pants.

I remember using my own money for buying my new pink and white bicycle.

I remember shopping for school clothes and being cautious enough to know it was NOT OK to spend $50 on a pair of shoes.

I remember swimming at Crane Creek and eating bologna sandwiches for lunch.

I remember when a family vacation was a one-hour drive to Cedar Point and one night in a hotel room.

I remember dad taking us to by kites in the spring and flying them at the park on Sunday afternoons.

I sometimes wonder if kids today are too spoiled. When did it stop being a privilege to get a new toy or outfit, or to have dinner in a restaurant? When did it become complacent for us to roboticly answer “yes” when our little ones shouted “Can I have some gum?” in the check-out line of the grocery store.

I will do my best to give JJ some of the best times of his life. I will do my best to give him memories that he will always remember because they were special times and not the norm. I will show him how to put a playing card in the spokes of his bike to make it sound like a motorcycle. I will teach him how to put his napkin in his lap while he eats and order from the waitress himself. I will give him an allowance and teach him to work for the things he wants or thinks he needs.

He will know, as I did, that mom will always be there to reel him back in if he ever gets too demanding and Grandma is there to spoil him just a little at the right times.

I'm Behind!

For some reason I haven't been able to log into blogger lately so I am severely behind in my updates. JJ is doing well and is now saying "wow wow wow" and "ball" about 50 times a day. No walking for us yet, but it is getting very close - yeah, we are totally jealous of AP! A few of the Kyrgyz adoptive families got together for an impromptu reunion down in SC last week and we were totally bummed that we weren't there. Plus, we missed the big CWA reunion that was held at Myrtle Beach last month. We really want JJ to see him Kyrgyz "cousins" so hopefully we'll make it down for a reunion soon.

We've been having some troubles getting JJ to sleep lately. He fights it and fights us every night and Jerret is in the room next door as we speak, trying to get that boy to lay down. He just wants to play, play, play and flashes that 1000-watt smile and we just have a hard time telling him no.

Last weekend we went out to dinner for my brother's birthday and had terrible service. We waited about 45 minutes for our food and JJ was just getting antsy, as any kid would. We fed him some of my cottage cheese and crackers and he was as happy as can be. I think that he'll be feeding himself with a spoon any day now.

3 weeks until my big birthday. Yes, I will be turning 30 and am just cringing at the thought. I don't know why but I can't stand the fact that I will be 30 already! I took the day off work in lieu of a total mental breakdown, which I wouldn't want anyone at work to witness.

Here are some updated pics of JJ.

Life in America is Pretty Sweet

Jerret sent me a picture the other day and asked "do we even remember this kid?"

This was THE picture. The one that made us fall in love with our JJ. This was the picture that our agency sent us and we took one look and said "Can we have him?" He was only 3 months old in this picture and it would be another seven months before we would travel to meet him. He seems like such a different person now. He is so active, so cuddly, so funny, and so at home here that it's hard to imagine that he came home less than 3 months ago.

This kid was meant to be here, with us, and it's like we never skipped a beat. We knew that God had something big - even great - in store for us. I am so glad that we had the wisdom to listen and follow his plan. Many people have commented on how fast he seems to be adjusting and it's as though he's been with us forever. I hope this continues...

JJ is doing great and is so close to walking. He is at the "cruising" stage and walks holding on to furniture. He is cutting his 6th and 7th teeth and loves sharing Popsicles with dad. Below are some recent photos...as JJ says (through Jerret)..."Life in America is Pretty Sweet"

A Nice Weekend

We had a great weekend relaxing at home. Friday night Jerret and I took two of my "other" boys to the Mudhens game and we had a great time. The weather was a perfect 72 degrees and the game was intense with 4 homeruns before the 7th inning! JJ hung out at grandma & grandpa's house. He is saying his first real word, which happens to be "kitty cat" (or kiki as JJ says). Aunt B has cats and she must have taught him this. Anyway, here are some pics from our weekend. He had his 2nd pool adventure and is going to be a guppie before we know it! Oh - and the picture at the top is him on his new toy (a John Deere tractor, of course!)

We're Starting Him Young

How cute is this kid? He was out in the barn with Grandpa last weekend and got his first ride on a Deere! When you're from the country you are easily amused by tractors and lawn mowers - especially if they are a John Deere. JJ is already wanting to drive....

Memorial Day weekend was nice (hurray for the 3-day weekend!), but the weather was either cloudy or rainy all weekend. Monday afternoon the sun finally came out and it was a great day. We were down the street at our friends cook-out. They just had a new pool dug, but the water wasn’t in yet. Half-way through the party the guys got tired of looking at the gaping hole in the ground and decided to open up the hydrant and fill it! The kids loved it and played in the pool as it was being filled – and that water was COLD! Jerret and I took turns pushing JJ in the baby swing, which he loved. We don’t have a swing set at our house yet, and will most likely be moving in the next 2 years, so maybe we can convince Grandma and Grandpa to get a swing set???? Wishful thinking, I know!

Thanks Grandpa....

We were watching the news last night and a story came on about Memorial Day and the fact that so many people have no idea what the day is actually about. There were about ten people interviewed and when asked what Memorial Day was, not one could answer. Of course everyone knew it was a free day off of work and the first 3-day weekend of the year, but not the true reason for such a holiday.

Apparently I am an exception to the rule, but I have always been raised to know the meaning of memorial day. I have been a member of the American Legion Auxiliary #537 since I was 12 years old. My grandparents took me and my cousin Joe to the beaches of Normandy the summer of 1994 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of D-Day. I hang a picture of my grandfather in his army uniform on the wall of my cubicle - proudly displayed for all the world to see.

Grandpa Helle is one of the neatest guys you will ever meet. He has story upon story about his life in Patton's Third Army. While never boastful, he will tell anyone who asks about his experience in the Battle of the Bulge and the bullet still lodged in his side to act as a constant reminder of God's grace. In 2005 he travelled with friends to Washington DC to see the new WWII memorial and was interviewed by a reporter from Virgina Living magazine who could see in his face that this was a man with a story to tell.

I could go on and on about the hardest working man I have ever known, but he would rather I talked about something else. So as a tribute to grandpa, here is a picture of him with JJ at their first meeting.

We Just Love This Guy...

Below is a copy of the announcement I created to send out to friends.

So yesterday was tough having to leave JJ at Aunt B's house. She's not actually my aunt, but is the aunt of my cousin Carrie (she watches Carrie's 4-year old too). Aunt B was so sweet and was trying to show JJ how to blow kisses as I walked out the door. She kept saying "Put that one in your pocket mom and save it for later." He did well and Jerret was a little disappointed when he went to pick him up at the end of the day. I guess JJ just sat still next to Aunt B and didn't give Jerret the big open-armed reception that he was hoping for.

If I thought yesterday was hard, today was nearly unbearable. As soon as I put JJ down at B's house he crawled right over to her and raised his arms for her to pick him up. I almost burst into tears on the spot! I was still thinking about it when I arrived at work and needed to be reassured by my friend Becky. She reminded me that Aunt B is going to love him and take care of him as well as I would and that JJ needs a place away from home where he is happy and comfortable. I am so glad that we found B and that she is with JJ when I can't be there. It's hard for Jerret and I right now because we are just getting good at this and now he's away for 8 hours out of the day.

He's 1!

Our little guy turned one on Friday and we celebrated with a small party at Grandma's house. I really didn't want a big party since we did just return home and everyone has been giving us gifts like crazy! Not to mention the fact that we had two showers, one of which was just two weeks ago. So this wasn't necessarily a "party party" - it was more of a "come and meet our baby" for our family that lives on the other side of the state.

JJ had a blast and was very excited to meet his cousins from Cleveland. Everyone was so happy to see him and we were just glad that they could all come and visit for a few hours. He didn't waste any time diving into his b-day cake, as you can see in the pictures. By the end of the afternoon he was ready for a long nap and Jerret and I were too!

Saturday night I took my nephew AJ to the GX International show and we watched skateboarders, break dancers, rappers, and listened as a few of the performers give testimony on how they became followers of Christ. The stories they told were pretty powerful, and we listened as one guy told how his mother had him at 15, had two other kids by the age of 18 (all with different fathers) and said that he watched his mother get beat by her boyfriend day after day. They ended up running away and living in shelters and even their car when there was no place left to go. Through all this he learned that there was a place to turn, and that led him to believe in something bigger than us all. It was so awesome to watch as people in the audience - kids in fact - were so moved by these stories that they proudly stood up and said they wanted to know more.

One of the girls (she was a dancer) told her story of being abandoned as a baby on the stairway of the police station. I don't remember exactly what country she was from, but she was born in Asia and was adopted by a Norwegian couple who took her home with them to Norway. Hearing her speak and listening to her story made me think of JJ and how lucky we are to have found him. So many people that we meet say what a lucky boy he is to have been adopted by us, but we are the lucky ones.

Tomorrow is JJ's first day with the sitter :( She is a wonderful lady so I know there is nothing to worry about, but I am just sad that I can't be home with him. Jerret's cousin who came to visit was telling us how she is now able to work from home 4 days a week and only goes in on the 5th day. I am so jealous! She still has to take her son to daycare, as it is just too hard to work with a little one at your feet, but man - how nice would it be to not have to do hair and makeup every morning?!?

Things Are Good...

I have always heard that being a stay-at-home mom is the hardest job in the world; and it's not that I ever doubted that, it's just that I never realized quite how hard it really is until I took on the role myself.

I still have a couple of weeks before I have to return to work, so I have been taking advantage of this one-on-one time with JJ. My 5-year-old nephew happened to break his arm last week, so I have also been busy taking care of him while my brother works. When AJ is not injured he is a wonderful helper. I can ask him to run and get things, help pick up around the house, get dressed by himself, etc., and he will eagerly help out with no questions asked. Now that he has a broken arm, I am (of course) having to do everything for him and JJ, and it has not been easy! I seriously do not know how some people do it and now have a new appreciation for moms that do this 24/7 without a break.

JJ seems to be adjusting perfectly. Since arriving home 3 weeks ago he has learned to crawl, pull himself up from a seated position, clap his hands, say "Mama", drink from a sippie cup, and is starting to feed himself with a spoon. He is learning everything so fast; there is no end to this kid's capabilities. He has only gained 1 pound so far, but has grown 3 inches. We are still feeding him as much as he'll eat, which seems like all the time! He has had to get 3 shots so far because he was so behind on vaccines, and he's had numerous tests run - all of which have come back normal.

Jerret calls from work every day and says how much he misses him. He keeps telling me how hard it's going to be for me when I go back to work.

It's So Good To Be Home

It's been a little over a week since we've been home and we are just loving our little boy. He is so happy all the time and loves to smile and laugh and play. It's great. The picture above is from our last day in Almaty, but his demeanor is still the same. We are very lucky.

Monday was his appointment with the local international adoption doc, who will now be his primary care pediatrician. We were surprised to learn that he has grown 2 inches since his last appointment, but has not yet gained any weight. We are feeding him like crazy, but the doctor recommended giving him as much formula as he will take. He was only getting about 8 oz. per day at the orphanage (if that) and he has some catch-up to play weight wise, so we have accepted her advice and been giving him bottles in between meals.

The doctor said that JJ has a really bad ear infection in his right ear, which we were given a script for (just as the doc at the SOS clinic had told us). We really couldn't believe that it is such a bad infection because the kid never cries or pulls at his ear, and he hasn't had any kind of fever since we've had him. Before we left the office the nurse came in and said she needed to do a PPD test. Jerret held JJ while the nurse inserted the needle and JJ never made a sound.

The doctor also ordered all kinds of tests that will need run in order to make sure JJ doesn't have any hidden conditions we may not be aware of. We took him to the hospital lab yesterday and had to hold him down while they drew blood. It was very difficult to watch. He cried while we were holding him down, and the nurse needed to poke him 3 times before finding a good vein. The poor baby cried and cried, but he stopped as soon as the nurse was finished and I was able to pick him up.

Other than the appointments, we are just busy getting used to our new roles as parents. Jerret is very hands-on and will do anything I ask - even change diapers.

We're Home!

We are finally back in the good old USA and happy to be home with our baby.
Monday was our last embassy appointment in Almaty and we were issued all the documents necessary to take JJ out of the country and grant him entrance into the US. Once this was finished we were free to leave and we hurried back to our hotel to begin packing. Our flight was leaving for Amsterdam at 7:20 on Tuesday morning and we could not get out of that place fast enough.

We met our adoption facilitator at 3:30 a.m. in the hotel lobby - she would be our escort to the airport and would translate our situation to the immigration police if needed. I began making small talk with her on our way to the car and asked if the other families were on their way home without any hiccups. She surprised me by saying one of the families was gone, but the other decided to cancel their flight when one of them became ill. This must have been a very hard decision to make. They had three children back at home and often talked about how much they missed their kids and couldn't wait to see them. Jerret said he wouldn't have stayed for any illness unless he was in danger of losing a leg or something. I agreed.

The flight to Amsterdam was absolutely lovely. We were on a 330 Airbus, and granted bulkhead seating with an infant bassinet for JJ to lay in. He was a little apprehensive at first, but after a while he adjusted and slept in it for a little over an hour, providing much-needed relief to my arms. The plane looked almost empty and had only about 50 passengers from nose to tail. There was so much room that many people switched rows and could lay across all three seats and sleep during the 7-hour trip if they wanted.

We didn't realize that we had a 5-hour layover in Amsterdam and fought to stay awake with JJ the entire time. In the line for our flight back to Detroit we met three guys who were on their way home from a sprint car race in Johannesburg, South Africa. After a few minutes of conversation we discovered that the men were not only from Toledo, but from the same small town that I am! It truly is a small world.

The last leg of our flight home was the longest. JJ didn't sleep much, maybe for only an hour total, and he wanted to be up doing something the entire time. We tried getting up and walking around with him, which seemed to work when it was possible, but was very hard to do without being in the way of someone. This last leg is also where we learned how important it is to pack the diaper bag with more stuff then you think you will actually need.

An hour before we were to land we discovered we were out of diapers, which we needed in a bad way. We didn't have any choice at this point but to wait until we landed and get a new diaper from our luggage. After a few minutes the smell became so unbearable that other people on the plane began to take notice. The girls in the row behind us even began spraying perfume to overcome the odor. Although we didn't have a new diaper to use, Jerret thought he could salvage the old one by taking JJ into the bathroom and "wiping it out." (I tried to convince him this wouldn't work, but he still thought it was worth a try). After a few minutes Jerret and JJ returned and I laughed out loud when I noticed a baby wipe sticking out of the back of JJ's pants. The whole idea of "wiping it out" didn't work too well and Jerret decided to let the baby enter the US commando, with about 7 wipes shoved down his pants. The wipes reappeared later when in line at the US customs office, only this time they were sticking out from the bottom of his pant leg.

Customs went smoothly and we quickly found our luggage and were met by the limo driver we hired to take us home. It was so nice to be in familiar territory and we were glad to be on our way home. We are both getting used to the time adjustment and are taking turns getting up with baby.

Our Weekend in Almaty

It was a relaxing weekend here in Almaty. Although there are so many things to see and do in this capital city, we made the decision to just lay low and ride out the last few days until we are able to leave and take our baby home. I know that many of you are going to ask about the culture here and the different sights around the city, but I have to be honest and say that we did everything at an arm’s length. This whole process of becoming parents for the first time coupled with the adoption process itself is so much to take in that we gave up trying to take the city in. It is just too much.

Saturday we took a trip down to the local farmer’s market. This looked much like the farmer’s market back at home, only on a much grander scale. Rows upon rows of flowers, spices, nuts, fruits and vegetables on perfect display lined the stands as different vendors shouted out to passers-by in Russian. Even vendors working at the same booth were competing for customers, shouting out prices in an attempt to under-cut the next guy. We stopped at a booth when a man from Tajikistan asked us if we were from “America?” When we told him yes, he came back with “New York?” – That is one thing about this place…it is so far on the other side of the world that the only concept they have of the US is New York City. Jerret ended up buying three oranges from the guy and we continued on through the market.

At the very far end of the market was the exact reason I refuse to eat at some of the restaurants in foreign countries. There, in the open air, with no refrigeration involved and for all the world to see, was the meat market. Racks hanging with sides of pork, beef, lamb (and I’m sure some horse was in there too), stood in the background of tables filled with butchered meat. We walked the length of the meat tables, which spanned the entire warehouse, and watched as vendors worked using various hand tools ranging from hatchets to hammers – things we would typically use on a home repair project. Near the end of the row a young girl stood organizing the days goods – lamb’s head and beef livers – and waited for the next customer to make a purchase.

At the table on the very end an older lady with her head wrapped in a white scarf worked intently, stuffing unidentifiable chunks of meat into sausage casings. We were amazed to see that she did not make any attempt to chop or grind the meat up, or even mix it with any seasonings. I tried to take a picture of her as she worked, but she stopped me, yelling something in Russian and waving her finger back in forth in front of her face. Whatever she was making was beyond us and it would have to stay that way. Directly across from her table was a small room that contained two bathtubs filled to the brim with pig intestines, which were being cleaned for their role in the mystery sausage preparation. (See pic)

Outside of the main warehouse was a bazaar where locals set up booths and sold everything from clothes to power tools to laundry soap. We passed many of the clothing booths where customers stripped down right in the middle of the aisle trying clothes on. If the booth had enough workers, it was sometimes one person’s job to hold up a towel or sheet in an effort to shield the customer. Many “booths” were actually random sections of the sidewalk where locals laid down a sheet to mark their spot and filled it with various odds and ends. Most of these areas contained such random goods that it appeared as though the people were selling their only worldly possessions. This intrigued us, and this area became the place we did the majority of our shopping.

The weather turned bitter cold in the short time we shopped, and I didn’t have a coat with me so we decided to head back to our hotel. On the way back we saw an elderly woman crying on the street, wailing out loud and crossing herself over and over again. From the window of our cab we saw three women begging in the street and one girl who looked to be about 8 or 9. Each of them would just walk up to the car windows and stare or point to their mouths asking for food. One lady held her crying baby in her arms and presented him to each car that passed. I told Jerret she must have been pinching him or something to make him cry that hard because that baby looked like he was in pain. I saw a lot of people give her money.

We stayed in for dinner that night and ordered pizza from room service. It looked well-enough like pizza from back home, but definitely didn’t taste the same.

A Trip To See The Doctor

Our first appointment in Almaty was for the SOS clinic where they would check JJ for any obvious issues we may need to deal with before heading home. JJ’s appointment was at the same time as the other two babies in our group and we all made the short drive together along with our in-country adoption facilitator. After checking in we made our way to the waiting room where we met two other American families who had adopted from Kazakhstan. One mother was from Washington DC and reported that she had been waiting to go home with her child for seven weeks!

We didn’t really know what was going to happen during this check-up, only that it is required by immigration before we could leave the country, so I think it is fair to say we didn’t have any expectations here. I was holding JJ in my arms when a nurse entered the room and called out “Jack Hartman” and Jerret and I quickly jumped up to follow her. The nurse turned to us and said “This is for the test HIV,” and instructed us to sit down. I knew that it would be a blood test and began getting very nervous at how JJ would do and even wondered how Jerret and I would do watching our new baby being poked with needles.

I sat down in the chair next to the nurse and held JJ in my lap. Jerret sat directly across from us and pulled out a rattle, shaking it like crazy in order to distract JJ. The nurse said she could take the blood from his finger, which made me feel a little better about the impending pain we would be putting this poor boy through. She grabbed his hand and JJ quickly lost interest in whatever ruckus Jerret was making with the rattle. He sat and watched as the nurse pricked his finger and milked it until there was enough blood to fill two tiny vials. He never once cried and never made a sound, just watched.

After the blood test we were ushered into another exam room where they checked JJ’s height and weight. I was a little surprised to hear that he weighed only 17 pounds, as my forearms would say that number should be much higher. He was measured as 27 inches long. Our final stop at the clinic required a more thorough exam of the baby, who checked out just fine except for a minor ear infection in one ear and a rash, which the doctor provided medicine for.
Once the medical exams were over, all three couples returned to our hotel and were instructed to meet in the lobby at 6:00 to have dinner together where we would all fill out the paperwork required by the Immigration Police. We ate dinner at the SOHO Café, which is a local “American” restaurant with wall-to-wall New York City décor. We sat and picked at our food as we tried to fill out paperwork and take care of the baby all at the same time. This was one of our last required duties and we would have the next three days free before our meeting at the US Embassy on Monday.