Ask And You Shall Receive

The doorbell rang today and it was Aina, a former LMI translator that lives in my apartment building. A man was with her bringing a crib for me. He came in to put it together. I assume he is a handy man here in Kazakhstan. Best smelling handy man I have seen! He was an older man, maybe in his upper 40’s, dressed in a collared shirt and sweater and nice wool pants. I would die if I had a worker come to my house in the US dressed and smelling like that!

It was very nice of Gulnara to provide a crib for me. I really do appreciate it and it will make Leah much more comfortable. She is squished in the cradle. Now, if she could only provide me with an earlier return date home!! The adoption certificate and Leah’s birth certificate should be back from Astana (the capital) today. I am hoping to hear today or tomorrow when I can leave for Almaty. It will be hard to leave here since I am comfortable, but if I leave I can get an apartment versus a hotel in Almaty which would be more comfortable for us…not to mention we wouldn’t have to eat out all the time. But, I could stay in Aktobe and only go for 2-4 days to Almaty. I have to wait 7-10 days for her US Passport to arrive, but that wait can be done in Aktobe. I have 2 appointments with the US Embassy and the SOS clinic that I have to make in Almaty.

I forgot how easy it is to have an 11 month old! She sleeps so much and when she is not sleeping she is eating. We have been having a lot of quality time playing. Here is a picture of her doing “So Big.” She does this and then claps for herself! After lunch we went to the Alia market and UYM in search of a stroller. I found one for $66 dollars but it would have been $20 in the US! It is very cheap but hey now I can get her off my chest…literally. The ergo baby carrier is great, but doesn’t work well with snowsuits and thick jackets. I just hope the wheels don’t fall off the stroller until I get to RDU! I also bought her 2 toys. One toy attaches to the stroller for something to do while riding and a Xylophone. She loves music so I figured she could bang away and dance.

We went for a little stroll in our new ride until I found out she doesn’t like the wind or sun in her face. Man, these kids are picky aren’t they! So we came back inside. She watched a Sesame Street DVD. She almost watched the whole thing. Every song that came on she would sway. Here she is watching the TV. I wish you could see her dancing and clapping to the songs!

Since the stroller depleted my cash, we went to exchange more money after her nap. I put a blanket over the stroller so there was no sun or wind in her face.

I have been tracking my mom and Davis’ flights. They made it to Germany fine and have a long (7 hr) layover. Hopefully, they both are holding up okay. It is a long haul home and even longer with a 3 yr old!