We arrived at the baby house to find Leah very tired. The caregivers said she was up all night coughing. She was in a good mood but was pretty sleepy. She drank half of the spiked apple juice. I am not sure how much of the vitamins she actually got. I think we might try and squeeze them in her mouth when no one is looking to be sure she gets a full dose. I am not sure if we would get in trouble for this or not. She is very congested and wheezing. I worry she will develop bronchitis or pneumonia. I know she has been sick for 5 days now and it seems to be getting worse. I asked about antibiotics and they said they do give them medicine, but she is not receiving any. I would love to sneak her some of Davis’ “just in case” antibiotics that his pediatrician gave us but I know I would get in a lot of trouble if they caught me! Once again, it’s tough to not be able to take care of your child! She fell asleep in Milon’s arms today. Once she was reclined the cough started again. I can see how she was up all night coughing. She only took a short cat nap and was up again.
They had her dressed in the outfit and hat we brought. The 6-9 month outfit actually fit her pretty well although I am sure the 5 layers of clothes underneath helped fill it out!
Leah broke my necklace today. I guess my brain has really forgotten the baby stage or I would have not worn one on this trip! It’s funny how fast you forget!
Davis was exceptionally tired today also. We brought the computer so he could watch Handy Manny. Leah was fascinated watching the video also! It’s amazing how fast these little ones progress with some TLC. She rolled over twice today! She also is now able to stand with her legs locked! Just 4 days ago she had no idea what to do when I held her up! I caught Davis giving her a hug and kiss as they watched Handy Manny. He didn’t know we were watching. He was explaining who all of the tools in the show were. He asks everyday if we are bringing her home today. I don’t think he understands that we have to come back and get her. I can already see the tears coming when we leave without her.
I finally found out the temperature here. The other day it was 0 degrees. Yesterday was 5 degrees. I have never felt cold like this before. When you open the door it literally takes your breath away. Milon coughs every time.
We are amazed at how long it takes the sun to come up! It doesn’t fully come up until 9:00am! It is like ghost town until about then. However, people go to bed very late. At midnight it looks like it does at 5:00pm!
Sunday we walked to the mall. We didn’t buy anything other than baby powder which a very nice caregiver at the baby house had asked us to bring. (Apparently, Leah has very sensitive skin and they use powder on her bottom rather than lotion.) The mall was very crowded and not stroller friendly at all! It would never pass in the US! Ainura, our translator said she would go with us next time so she could help us find some souvenirs.
We made chicken noodle soup for dinner which was great! I brought bouillon cubes from home to make a broth. We will have that for leftovers tonight.
I am still not terribly homesick or bored. We really don’t have time to be bored. I thought at night we would be going stir crazy but Davis is asleep by 7:30 and we fall asleep on the couches at 8! I am sick with a sinus infection but I am hoping in a few days I will feel better. No kisses for Leah from me today!
We found out we might as well live in Kazakhstan. The earliest we will be able to leave is January 14th, which puts us home on January 15th. Then we have 40 days to wait for our court date and we come back for 5-6 weeks. Milon of course won't be able to stay that long. My mom will probably come to help out with the two kids!
Here are some tips for future Aktobe travelers! Some of these may be apartment specific!
Pick a flight schedule with the LEAST amount of layovers!! We had 15 hours worth of layovers and made the trip twice as awful!
Bring a queen fitted bottom sheet….they don’t have fitted sheets here and all night I am pulling the bottom sheet over so I am not lying on the mattress!!
They have coffee here but it’s instant, no granola bars, no peanut butter
My 1500 watt hairdryer works fine with the adapter
The apartment we are in has an iron, clothes line, washing machine
Bring coffee mugs and large plastic cup
If traveling with kids, bring balloons! It’s our major source on entertainment!
We haven’t found the need for lots of stuff on most adoption travel packing lists like, towels, duct tape, funnels, bungie cords, ice cube trays, sink stoppers, cutting boards
Bring a good knife
Bring pants that are almost too small b/c after wearing them over and over and washing them without a dryer they never get to shrink!
6 comments:
hey Susan! Will they let you bring her a humidifier or do they have one set up where she is sleeping? Also, vasoline is great for sensitive skin, worked like magic on Ella when nothing else would. So when you do change her, if she develops any readness, etc, try vasoline. Since you will be there so long, I want to send a package... Will see what I can do!
She does look a little tired today, but she looks very comfortable with her new family, especially sleeping in Daddy's arms! Wait until they lay watching football on Sundays and fall asleep on the couch... Daddy's and their little girls, what a special bond! Love her outfit, she is beautiful! Feel better!
Love ya, Lynne
We looked at your list, and it's really specific for which apartment you have. We had all the things at our apartment that you mentioned.
40 days between your first and second visit is long, but time flies, we can know! :-)
Hello you guys!!! I've been without internet access while traveling during the holidays so I'm just catching up on your big week!
AND WOW, what a week it was!!!! I am so overcome with joy for you and I am crying happy tears right now. Leah is ADORABLE!!! She really does look like Milon -- it's uncanny! Congratulations to you guys for finding your sweet daughter, who has been waiting for you to come and scoop her up and be her forever family.
I feel so nostalgic reading about your experience and seeing pictures of the bonding room. It's hard to imagine it being cold because it was about 90 degrees when we were there and they even let our son run around in only a diaper. Quite a difference!
I know that leaving without Leah will be so difficult.
It sounds like you are in our old apartment. There is a lovely girl who lives in the building. Her name is Naderzhda (Nah-DARE-zhda). She is Russian - about 16 years old and speaks English very well. We became very friendly and she is a very sweet person. In fact, we have been e-mailing each other. See if you can get in touch with her. I used to see her on the playground, but with the weather being so cold I doubt the teens hang out there much right now.
Please say hi to everyone for us. I look forward to more posts and stories from our Aktobe!
Hugs,
Regina, Frank and Milan (Milo)
Hi guys!!! Congrats. She is beautiful and REALLY does look like Milon. We are thinking of you and praying for you each day. God really did make her for you guys. Enjoy your time and please keep up the writing. It's great to read and made me cry!! You know me, I'm a sap!! Lots of love - Kristin, Pete, Vance & Brennan
BTW - would like to send something with Lynne. Let me know the address of where you are staying and we'll get something out to you guys.
Hello Susan and Robert. Thank you so much for sharing your blog with us. Leah is so cute! She looks very happy, and hearing about her growth in such a short time is amazing.
It has been such a great experience to watch you go through the process in "real time" . It is making us very excited to travel to Aqtobe.
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