Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Thanksgiving



We all know that this time of year is for giving thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed on all of us. We gave thanks for the addition of William to our lives and we gave thanks for al of our friends and family. This entire journey would not have been possible without each and everyone of you.

William had a wonderful first Thanksgiving. He learned to say tukey and learned that it is very delicious. If he did not eat his weight in turkey I would be very surprised. We spent Thanksgiving day with our families and we hit the road on Friday to get all the great deals. Thanks to Claudia, Richard and Rebekah for watching Will that day. It would have been really challenging standing in line with him.

Saturday was a good day because we went to Riley and Morgans birthday party. Will had a great time riding in the tractor and seeing some of the country. Nathan tried to get him on the four wheeler but that wasnt happening.

Sunday we decided to get the Christmas tree out and get it put up. We did it while Will was asleep and when Amy brought him downstairs his eyes light up with wonder. We had to then say no about a million times because he wanted to touch everything. But that is how it is going to be for the next few weeks. We are really getting excited for Christmas and the rest of the holidays.

We hope that all of you are doing well and we will see you sometime between now and Christmas.

Love,

David, Amy and Will

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Update on the Hall Family












Hey Folks,

It has been quite a long time since we have posted anything here. We have been home three months now and it seems like a lifetime. I can still remember the excitement of getting off that plane and seeing our family. Well lets not reminisce too much lets talk about the now. A lot has happened since we have gotten home.

Will had a birthday on August 6th. We had cake and icecream and had a big celebration. All of his family and friends came over and we had a great time. I will post some of those pics. We have been on the go ever since. We have had a ton of baby showers and have gone and visited a lot of family. Just a few weeks ago Will took his first car trip to Tulsa Oklahoma. Terry and Amy Allen got married and we took the trip with Claudia(Me Me) and Rebekah(Ra Ra) to go see the wedding and all the family members. William was the hit of the wedding, he entertained a lot of people.

He is speaking more and more every day. Just the other day he started to say two words together for the first time. He has been a little slow on speach development but he is coming on very quickly. He has also been to see Dr. Lana twice. His last visit was last Friday and he is doing wonderfully. His head circumfrince is in the 50 percentile which is outstanding. His height and weight are in the 10 percentile. That is wonderful also. He has gained almost 5 pounds and has grown a few inches.

He is also becoming very spoiled. Just the other day he was sitting in Momas spot on the couch leaned against a pillow with a blanket over his legs, the sippy cup was laying on the blanket and he and Daddy were watching TV. Moma came over to sit on the couch with him and he started to throw a fit. She got up and he stopped crying. I guess he thinks he is now the king of the castle and must have the couch all to himself.

He has also become a very big ham and show off. Just the other day we were going into church and it was about 10 minutes before mass and the church was getting full with people and it was quiet. There were a few people talking or praying and as soon as we were in the middle of the church William blurts out HI to everyone. Amy and I both turn 15 shades of red and purple and almost everyone started waving back at him. He is the life of the party and we will probably have our hands full with that.

Alright well enough of the stories. I have lots of pictures to post and please feel free to post comments or email Amy and I about what is going on. Talk to all of you later. We are also going to try and update about once a month.

We hope everyone is doing well and we will talk soon.

David, Amy and William

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Hey Everyone!!

Sorry for the long delay in posting. David, Will (Az), and I made it safely home June 18, 2007 around 5pm. We made it through customs with flying colors and were met with a cheers of joy from all of our family at the airport. These past 3 weeks have flown by. Will seems to be adjusting very well to his new home and family. He loves all the attention and can't get enough hugs or lap time. It's taking David and I a little longer to adjust to the new job of parenting. We made it to the pediatrician last friday and Will is healthy as can be.

We were so excited to get home. Memphis never looked better than on June 18th. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers during our journey to adopt Will. We would not have made it through without your support.

With much love,
Amy, David, and Will

Monday, June 18, 2007

First Leg Done

Hello from Amsterdam!

We are very happy to be here and we are waiting as patiently as possible to get on the next plane to Memphis.

This past weekend we did a lot of walking and taking in the sights in Almaty. As you read in our last post, the flight from Pavlodar was a little rough. But the stay in Hotel Kazzhol was great. The first day in Almaty we went to the doctor and had a good checkup. Az was given good remarks from the doctor who said the he tought this was a healthy little boy.

The rest of the week was waiting on the next thing to do and basically eating. When Friday got here we found out that we had to leave the hotel because they were booked. We moved into an apartment close to Silk Way, which is a nice area for artists, musicians and shopping. My wife was in heaven.

The weekend went a little slower than we expected but we made it to Monday morning without any hitches. The first flight from Almaty to Amsterdam went really well. Az got a belly full of bananas and oatmeal and he played really well. He also took about a 2 hour nap which helped mom and dad a bunch.

We grabed some snacks in the airport and now they are calling us for the security check to go to the next station. We are looking forward to coming down the terminal in Memphis and seeing all our family and friends.

After we get home and setteled I will do another post to wrap up our trip.

Thanks to everyone who has followed along and kept up the great prayers for us.

Sincerely,

David, Amy and Will

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Hanging out in Hotel Kazzhol

Well we made it into Almaty after a very rough 2 hour flight. Az would not close his eyes and go to sleep. We left Pavlodar at 11:00 pm and an hour before that we gave him a dose of Benedryl. We just knew that everything would be fine because he would go to sleep. Well we were wrong. The screaming and whinning was so bad one of the passengers with a 3 year old girl came up to meet our whinny baby. She was very nice and did help calm whiny but down. At the very end of the flight the pilot turned the lights off and he settled down and fell asleep with a sucker, “Chupa Chup” in his mouth. Thanks to Kim for the suggestion.

Once we got to the hotel he was fast asleep and does not remember coming in or riding on the elevator. Nickoli our driver told us that he would pick us up at 9:15 to go to the doctor, a very short 7 hours away from the time we got to the hotel.

Az woke up around 7:30 and was ready for breakfast. We got dressed and went downstairs to the café for a buffet style breakfast. Breakfast is included with your stay. The food was pretty good. We had a mix of scrambled eggs, bananas, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a variety of breads. After breakfast we went back to our room and got ready to meet Nickoli in the lobby so that we could go to the doctor.

After about a 15 minute ride we made it to the SOS International Clinic. This medical exam is required by the US embassy. When we walked into the waiting area there was a little girl and her parents, who thankfully spoke English (they might have been American but we weren’t sure). She was there for a checkup and shots. Finally, it was Az’s turn. The nurses weighed him and checked his height. As of June 12, 07 he is 21.8 pounds and is 81 cm. Next, he had to have some blood drawn for an AIDS test. He was very brave. He didn’t make a sound. Finally, the doctor examined him. He thought that Az was very healthy and that we shouldn’t worry.

After the doctor’s visit, we had to go a get some more pictures made of Az for the embassy. Apparently the ones made in Pavlodar were not sufficient. We were then dropped off at the hotel and told that Oleg would be here in about 45 minutes to fill out the paperwork for the embassy. We waited for about an hour and ½ but no Oleg. Az was getting very fussy because he was starving. The only place that we could go was the hotel café because we didn’t want to miss Oleg. Our lunch was nice. We had a variety of breads. One had dill and onions baked into them and the other had poppy seeds. Az had a soup with meatballs and potatoes and Amy and I shared some pasta with tomato sauce and parm cheese. Near the end of lunch Oleg finally showed up to fill out paperwork. Oleg thinks that we will have our exit interview on Friday. While Amy filled out the paperwork I kept Az busy, but he was getting sleepy. We finally made it back to the room for a long overdue nap. Az went down pretty easy with only a couple minutes of crying since he was soooo sleepy. Amy and I also got a nap. We all slept for about 2 and ½ hours.

Because we had not been taken to a grocery store to buy some necessities, we decided to explore Almaty and try to find a supermarket. The receptionist gave us directions to a large shopping center called the Silky Way. We made our way to the destination and found a very nice area like Main Street in Memphis. There were stores lining both sides and there were vendors selling all kinds of things on the street. This was nice to see but it was not what we were looking for. While we were looking around we ran into the couple that we met at the doctor’s office that morning. We talked with them for a few minutes this morning and their child was there for shots and a checkup. We just happened to run into them on the street and they directed us to a grocery store on the other side of this area. We thanked them for their help and took off for the store. Unfortunately, we did not find it but we were glad for the advice.

We decided to head back to the hotel and try to find a small convienent store. Luckily Amy and I remembered a store that we went into in December. It was a tiny store but it had what we needed. We were able to pick up some water, apple juice, milk, bread, crackers, and yogurt. At least we now had some snacks for Az if he got hungry. We got back to the hotel and went downstairs for dinner. Amy had a chicken casserole and I had some steak with onions, bell peppers, potatoes, and squash. They called it Meat on Texas. It was ok, but nothing like home. After dinner we made it back to our room to settle down for the evening. Our first day here ended with all of us glad for bedtime and we all went fast asleep.

Day 2 in Almaty went a lot smoother that the first. We did not have any meetings or appointments. We woke up and had breakfast in the café. Then we wanted to try to find a grocery store. Since it was a fresh set of receptionists, I went to ask if they knew where a grocery store was located. She told us of a place about 3 blocks away. We struck out and were able to find what we were looking for. We were so thankful for the directions. It has everything that we could possibly need for the rest of the stay. We got lunch there instead of eating at the hotel café and picked up some diapers and fruit. It will be nice not to have to eat at the hotel café for every meal. We made it back to the hotel with goodies in hand and Az had some lunch. We bought him a hot dog in a roll. He devoured it along with some strawberry yogurt. Amy and I just snacked on some bread since we had such a big breakfast.

After lunch Az played around the room with his toys and us. We were able to get him down for a nap pretty easily. I had an idea to put him in the stroller, lock the back wheels, and lean it back on a chair. He went fast asleep without any tears. It was so nice although he didn’t last long in the stroller. He started to wake up and I moved him to the crib where he cried for several minutes but then fell fast asleep. We plan on exploring some more of Almaty this afternoon and having dinner in our hotel room.

Thursday will be the same as Wednesday. We hope to explore more and take some pictures of the area. We hope everyone is doing well at home and know that we are only 5 days away from being home.

If you have any suggestions about flying with a toddler please feel free to help out. The doctor suggested trying the Benedryl again, although it didn’t seem to work on the first trip. Az fought sleep the entire trip until the very end. Any advice will be great.

Look forward to seeing everyone.
Love, David, Amy, and Az

Monday, June 11, 2007

Monday, June 11, 2007

Flying to Almaty Day!!!!!!

What a terrific day!!! We are flying to Almaty tonight around 11pm and we can't wait. This is a huge step to coming home. We are not sure if we are staying in a hotel or an apartment while we are in Almaty, so the frequency of our posts may decrease. We are not sure how much internet access we will have.

Today was really good. We woke up around 7:30 and had oatmeal for breakfast. Az seems to like everything that we put on his plate. After breakfast was bathtime. Az does well in the big tub. He loves to splash in the water. We got dressed and I had to run to the store to pick up some water and coke to get us through the day. Az and I had noodle soup and Amy had her usual can of pinneapple. After lunch, Svetlana, Lena, and Tanya stopped by to say goodbye and bring us the important paperwork that we needed for the embassy. Svetlana also came bearing good news. Az's passport was on its way to Astana and she was going to be working on the exit visa paperwork. We also have to wait on Az to be registered in the Consulate in Astana (thank goodness we don't have to go there, we have representatives that will take care of this for us).

When we get to Almaty, we have to take Az to the doctor for a brief medical exam. After Az is officially registered in the consulate we can have our exit interview and make our way home, which we can't wait to do. We hope that the flight to Almaty goes smoothly and are ready for a change of scenery.

After everyone left, we decided to walk to the TSUM and exchange some money and then took our last walk to the park. For dinner, we finished up anything that we had in the pantry and frig. It ended up being a veggie dinner including green beans, corn, kidney beans, and potato dumplings. This meal is probably the closest we have to something from home. We are so ready for some American food, we can almost taste On the Border.

Well we have about 1 hour before Tanya is going to pick us up for the airport. We have everything ready to roll and are trying to rest a little bit.

Hope everyone is doing well. Can't wait to see everyone.

Love, David, Amy, and Az

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Saturday, June 9, 2007








1st full Day as a Family of Three

Amy and I woke up around our usual 7 am and to our surprise Az was still snoozing away. He slept the entire night and didn’t wake up until around 8:30 am. After Az woke up, Amy changed him and we decided to fix some breakfast. Az had a scrambled egg, a piece of cheese toast, and milk. He enjoyed all of it. There has not been one thing he hasn’t eaten. Yesterday he had a banana and 2 cracker sticks for snack and beans, rice, and half a hamburger patty for dinner. He does really well feeding himself. We try to make sure that he only puts one bit of food in his mouth at a time. It seems that sometimes he sucks food down whole. Also thank goodness for the stroller that we brought. It has been a life saver. He uses it as his seat for meals. We push it up to the glass coffee table in front of the couch, which makes a great dinner table.

After breakfast we played around the house for a while then decided to take a walk around the WWII memorial park. We struck out around 10:30 am. Az walked for a while through the park, but then wanted to ride for a bit. We walked through the rest of the park and down to the water fountains. He liked watching the water shooting out of the spouts. He has also discovered that he can push the stroller. After strolling for a bit more we walked back to the apartment to get ready for some lunch. I had a grilled cheese sandwich while Amy and Az had green beans, potato dumplings, broccoli, and bread. Yes, he ate all of his veggies even the broccoli. After lunch we actually got Az to take a nap although it took about 30 minutes for him to settle down. I think the “happy feet” soundtrack will be a naptime and night time ritual. He finally fell asleep watching the shapes and colors of the screen and listening to the music.

Az woke up about 3:20 pm from about an hour and a half nap. He was ready to play and loved to bang empty coke and water bottles on anything that he could reach. He also likes to look out the window and press his face against the glass. Amy even got Az to start blowing kisses. I even think we got it on film. We had a good spaghetti dinner except that when it was gone Az started to get upset. We took an after dinner stroll down to the river for a few pictures and fresh air. Az did not feel like walking so he rode in the stroller while enjoying the wonderful weather. It was sunny and between 65-70 degrees. It was great weather for a walk in the park. We made it home around 8pm and let Az play for about an hour. During our playtime Az started giving us kisses for the first time. It was great. Then it was bed time, a time that Az does not like. We again played “happy feet.” Az fussed and cried for only about 5-10 minutes, which is much better than the naptime and last night. At least we have found something for the meantime that works. Maybe tomorrow’s fussiness will be even shorter. Amy and I finished the rest of the evening with “The Daily Show” on CNN.

We are now two days closer to flying to Almaty and can’t wait for a change of scenery. Nothing is on the schedule for tomorrow except pancake Sunday and a walk to the park. Who knows what Az will do tomorrow?

Hope everyone is doing great and we can’t wait to get home to visit with everyone. Have a great weekend and we will talk to you all soon.

Love, David, Amy, and Az

Friday, June 8, 2007








GOTCHA DAY!!!!!!

What an exciting morning? This day has finally arrived. It feels like we have been waiting for an eternity. God has truly blessed us. Today is the big day of bringing Az home from the baby house. Surprisingly we were able to sleep last night. We got up around 7 am and Amy excrcised while I talked with some family. After breakfast, we got everything ready to go. We were ready to go about 30 minutes early. They picked us up around 9:50 am and we headed on our errands. We had several places to stop before making our way to the baby house. First we had to exchange some money and then we went to buy our plane tickets to Almaty for Monday night at 11pm. We were excited to get these because it is one step closer to making the final trip home. After purchasing the tickets, we needed to buy some champagne and a Pavlodarian newspaper for Az’s baby/scrapbook. Next, we headed off for Krindles the local bakery for several cakes. We have heard that it is tradition to have champagne and cake when a baby is born. After we had bought the supplies and tickets we went to pick up Svetlana and Nina. Finally we were on our way to the baby house by 11am. When we got to the baby house we dropped off one cake, bottle of champagne, and a gift for the Director. Then we dropped off the same with the doctors. Finally we went to Az’s room to pick him up.

When we made it up the stairs and into his room, all the children we finishing up with the bathroom and about to sit down for lunch. Az came out of the bathroom and headed straight for Amy’s arms. Az did not want to sit down in his chair for lunch. He wanted to stay in mom’s arms. The caregiver finally took Az and got him seated for lunch. He had a pretty big lunch which included a piece of black bread, a bowl of cabbage soup, and a bowl of mashed potatoes, meat, and beets. We were amazed at how well the kids fed themselves. Only a few needed help with the spoons. After lunch, Amy took him into the bathroom and got his clothes changed. He looked cute in his plaid shirt, khaki pants, and crocs. We then headed down to the Director’s office where Svetlana and Nina were waiting for us. When we got to the director’s office Nina wanted to hold Az. She reached for him several times, but he wanted nothing to do with her. He even started to get upset because of her persistence. Then they wanted pictures with Amy and Az. We got one shot and that was it. Az was not into picture time. He was pretty upset by this time and got even more upset when we got into the van to come home. He cried almost the entire ride home. Hopefully with practice he will come to like riding in cars.

We finally made it back to the apartment and Az was great. We stripped him down to a t-shirt and diaper. He played around the apartment for awhile. According to his schedule he was supposed to take a nap between 1-3 pm. Amy and I tried to put him down for a nap but he refused. There is a small playpen but it is a bit small for Az and he wouldn’t lay in the bed. We tried for about an hour and then decided we wouldn’t force the issue. While Amy played with him, I ran to the grocery to pick a few things up and then made it back to the apartment to play some with Az. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening playing with his trucks, singing elmo, and empty coke bottles. We got to talk with all the family and Az even said a couple of words/sounds. It is amazing how well he is doing. He is talking, babbling, and repeating us more than ever. He is even saying “tickle, tickle, tickle.” Amy and I love to tickle Azamat and we always say that phrase. I started to tickle Amy’s foot and Az did the same thing. He even puts up his feet for you to tickle (Rebekah does this sound familiar, we will now have to do tickle feet with Az) and he will tickle his own feet. It’s really cute and we have been trying to get it on film but everytime the camera comes out he refuses to do it.

After playing for a while and having dinner Amy gave Az a bath and got him into his pjs. We settled down on the couch and watched a bit of CNN and then around 8:30 we decided to try to put Az to bed. We knew he was tired because he had no nap. We put him in the playpen and turned on the soundtrack to “Happy Feet.” He was fussy at first and didn’t want to go to sleep but then he started watching the shapes and colors on the computer screen and it lulled him to sleep. Amy and I felt that we had finally accomplished something. Hopefully he will sleep through the night. Amy and I sat up for a bit longer and then headed for bed ourselves. Only time will tell if Az sleeps through the night. Talk to everyone soon.

Love, David, Amy, and Azamat

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Thursday, June 07, 2007

The day before Gotcha Day!

Well we definitely want this day to pass as quickly as our visits with Az do. We got up at our usual time and had breakfast. Amy had toast and a banana and I had a banana. We were finally able to find regular sliced wheat bread called “Harry’s American Sandwich.” All of the other bread we have bought has been homemade loaves, which are difficult to cut good slices (especially for patty melts and grilled cheeses). After that it was time to catch up on the world from CNN. Everything this morning was about the Republican Debates. It has been all over the news today.

While I was doing that Amy decided to clean the floors and the kitchen. After that she got all the gifts together and wrapped them for us to give away tomorrow. We watched movies and had a small lunch. Nothing exciting happening today.

We talked with Tanya and tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. They are picking us up at 9:40 and we are going to exchange money, buy the plane tickets for Monday, go pick up Nina, buy some cakes to give away and to pick up some champagne to celebrate. After that we need to get a few supplies from the store for Az and our lunches. Plus it is Gotcha Day. That in itself will be full enough.

We moved some things out of harms way for Az in the apartment. We had the last batch of popcorn for dinner and Amy is writing thank you notes while I write these posts. I am also thinking about taking a sleep aid tonight because I think it will be a long night of tossing and turning if I don’t.

We want to thank everyone that has helped us to get to this point. You all have played different roles from giving advice to cutting our grass at home while we have been gone. All of you are very special people and we will be leaning on you again when this family of two turns into a family of three. We are extemely looking forward to tomorrow but we are longingly looking forward to getting back home.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With all the love we posses, David, Amy and Will

PS, we have been asked what we will be calling Az. Will it be Will, William, Az or Azamat. We are going to call him Azamat William when we get home. That was suggested to us as the best method to get him accustomed to his new name. We ask that when we finally drop Azamat that you call him William or Will. As he gets older and can understand that he was adopted then we may call him Az. This is just to make him familiar with his original birthplace. Thanks to everyone for asking.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007







Last Day of Waiting Period, Hallelujah

We were picked up this morning at a quarter to 10:00 and we were on our way to our last official visit at the baby house. When we got there we quickly scurried upstairs to see our son. He was very happy to see us. When Amy picked him up she said that he was wet and the caregivers were coming to change him. When the caregiver arrived with new clothes and a new diaper he did not want to go with the caregiver. That is the first time in 2 months that has happened. He has always wanted to be with his caregivers and this was extraordinary for Amy and me. Tanya chimed in that he was ready to be rid of this place and ready to be with us full time. These moments are sometimes too precious to describe and I just wish I had it on video.

We made our way to the usual play room and there was a woman and a small baby in the room before we got there. So we decided to go to the music room, but it had a class of children in the middle of a song. We had to share the room with the other woman. No big deal because she did not mind us being there and her baby was 2months old. Az was mystified by the little baby. He was intently listening to every sound the baby made. Maybe that means he wants a sibling at some point, don’t know about that we will just have to let that dog lie for now. We had also brought cookies for him since today was his 22nd month birthday. He scarfed the cookies as quickly as we gave them to him. After he ate the two he wanted more. We did not want to give him more but a full out tantrum followed. We are wondering if he is getting upset because he is hungry and wants more or because he does not trust that we will give him more latter. We will figure that out this weekend.

After the cookies we got his attention focused on blocks and circles but the baby was still drawing attention. Then all of a sudden another woman came in with a 2 year old little girl. She was there to visit her child and this was the only room available. It becomes very crowded quickly when 2 toddlers, a baby, and 5 adults are in an 8 by 10 room with a couch and 2 chairs. We worked around it and ended up playing with both Az and the little girl. The baby fell asleep and the mother took her back to her group. Whew a little breathing room. We played on and on and then it was time to go back to the group for the very last time. We told Az about everyone that wanted to meet him and hug him and that we loved him very much and that Friday would be here soon. This will be the last time we part with our son for a long time.

After our visit, we had a few errands to run including the grocery store and the baby store to develop some pictures. We then came home for some lunch and an afternoon movie. Later in the afternoon we had to go pick up the developed pictures and decided to take a walk through the park since our last visit was not good. Today’s stroll was great. All the rides were running and the vendors were in place to sell us some cotton candy. Amy and I made quick work of the cotton candy and just enjoyed being in the park. We talked about bringing Az down here on the weekend if the weather will cooperate. Last weekend was very chilly and there were no small children outside.

The rest of the evening was like the others, watching movies and catching up on the world news from CNN. We are hoping that tomorrow goes quickly and we are anxious for Friday to get here.

Hope everyone is doing well and we will post soon.

Love, Dave and Amy

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

2 Days and Counting

Well we are really knocking these days and counting down. We are very excited of the treasure that awaits us at the end of this week. It has been a long year and a half but these last few days seem to be an eternity.

Today we decided that we were not going to stay cooped up in the apartment all day and we decided to go to the park and to go to our favorite souvenir place in the Tsum. When we got there we noticed right away that our friend had ordered some new things. We par oozed her little shop for a while and decided on some ornaments for the tree, our traditional magnet for the refrigerator from the places we have been and we picked up a few other things. Amy was able to find something that she really liked and I encouraged her to buy it, although she did not need much encouragement. She bought a cream colored box with some beads and small rope on the exterior. On the inside it looks like it is lined with velvet. She was very pleased.

After the Tsum we made our way over to the park. We did not stay very long at the park because of the windy cool weather. None of rides were operating and the vendors were closed. Amy’s hopes of cotton candy are quickly dwindling. Maybe the weather will cooperate later on in the week so we can return to the park.

We are looking forward to our visit with Az tomorrow and the last day of the 15 day waiting period. Things are looking better every day.

We will fill you in tomorrow on our trip to the baby house.

Love, Dave and Amy

Monday, June 04, 2007

Monday, June 4, 2007







3 Days and Counting!!!!

Finally, the finish line is growing closer and closer. This will be our last week in Pavlodar. We will be flying to Almaty next Monday night. We are so excited and can’t wait to begin our new life with Az.

We had a terrific visit with Az today. He was super cuddly. He had to get his fill of momma and poppa. He has definitely got the word poppa down. We think he said momma once but aren’t sure. We will have to work on that. He was also saying “I I I I I” and kaka (which means something that is dirty and that he shouldn’t have). He usually says “kaka” after he picks up some fuzz off the carpet. He also had a great time today banging on boxes and inspecting the video camera. When we took him back, he was happy to see his caregiver but changed his tune when we started saying “paka” and waving at him. His facial expression quickly changed from one with a smile to one of “hey where you guys going.” We can’t wait until Friday when he can come home with us.

We then went to sign some documents at the notary and then back to the apartment. The afternoon was again pretty quiet. We watched a couple of movies and had some pasta for dinner. We wish we could see Az tomorrow but know its not on the schedule. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and get a bit warmer so we can enjoy the outdoors. I have yet to have any cotton candy from the park and can’t wait to try some.

Talk to you all soon,
Love, David and Amy

Sunday, June 3, 2007

4 Days and Counting!!!!!

Our trip home is getting closer by the day. Today was very relaxing. The temperatures have dropped and it was a bit chilly today. We thought that we might go on the river cruise but the weather did not cooperate. After looking at the forecast for the week we might not be able to go, but who knows. We had our normal Sunday breakfast of pancakes, which were delicious. David has become a great pancake flipper. We had planned on going to the Tsum again today to poke around and shop at our favorite store, but unfortunately she was closed for the day. So instead we went to the grocery (surprise, surprise). The grocery seems to be our favorite place to go these days. The rest of the afternoon was pretty quiet. We finished the 2nd season of 24, which was great. We are now officially out of DVDs to watch. We have started to watch the movies over again but they don’t seem to be as good. We can’t wait for Netflix to kick in at home so we can see some new flicks. We are excited about visiting Az tomorrow. We hope he will recognize us since it has been 3 days since we saw him last.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. We would not have made it through without them. We hope you all have a blessed week.

Love, David and Amy

Saturday, June 2, 2007




5 Days and Counting

We awoke this morning with plans to walk to the big mall. For most of the morning we relaxed at the apartment and left for the mall around 1:45 pm. It took us a good 25 minutes to get there. As we were walking several wedding parties passed us. It was a beautiful day to get married. The cars decorated with bright flowers, ribbon, and tulle flew by honking their horns the entire time to announce the wedding party. During the total trip we probably saw about ten wedding parties. Also on the walk we passed Tanya’s apartment and a large mosque.

The mall is a combination of an outdoor market and inside shops. The outdoor market is similar to a big flea market with anything you could think of to purchase. There were tons of clothes and toy merchants along with auto sales, luggage and home appliances. You could buy fabric and a rear bumper all in the same area. One row was packed with over 1,000 shoes. David thought that you could probably build a car from all the parts that were available at the market. After walking the market we decided to go inside to cool off for a minute. Boy were we wrong. No air conditioning. We walked through the mall anyway looking at clothes and Russian and Kazakh souvenirs. Most of the shops were dedicated to fashion. After sweating for a bit we decided to stop at a small café and buy a drink. Then we decided to start back to the apartment. It was a long afternoon. Luckily the trip back home seemed much quicker than the trek to the mall.

The rest of the evening was very quiet with some dinner and a movie, which seems to be our favorite pastime these days.

We are looking forward to marking another day off the calendar and getting one more day closer to coming home.

We hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and we will talk to you all soon.

Love, David and Amy

Friday, June 01, 2007

Friday, June 1, 2007








6 Days and Counting

Tanya called us last night and told us that Svetlana had some papers for us to sign and that either she or Lena would call in the morning to discuss the time for the meeting. Lena called at 10:00 and said that our meeting was at 11:00 and to be ready.

Sergei picked us up and we were off to Svetlana’s office. We got there and had to sign papers concerning Az’s birth certificate and some other papers. We talked about Gotcha Day next week and when our flights to Almaty would be. We also made plans to go to the notary office on Monday to get some of those papers notarized. Svetlana asked what our plans were for our last weekend as a couple. We talked about going to the park and she said that she would talk with Tanya about possibly going on that river cruise. She said that we would talk again over the weekend.

Since today is June 1st, it is a holiday here in Kaz. It is Children’s Protection Day. So the park at the end of our street had lots of plans for this. After lunch we ventured down there to check out the festivities and we were very surprised about the turnout of kids and adults. The park, rides, and concession stands were packed. Make sure and check out the pictures for details.

We sat and listened to music, watched a few magicians and watched a girl dance with hula hoops. It was a good event for the children. We didn’t even realize how long we had been there until we started getting cold. We had been there almost 2 hours and it was a good diversion from our regular plans. We got home to warm up and then decided to have popcorn and watch a movie. It was a good end to a surprisingly good day.

We are hoping Svetlana has time to go on the river cruise and I think we might head off to the mall on Saturday.

We hope everyone is doing well and we can’t wait to get home to see everyone. Have a good weekend.

Love, Dave and Amy

Thursday, May 31, 2007








7 Days and Counting

Our schedule changed again. We did not expect to go to the baby house today because it was not our scheduled day. We got a call from Tanya last night and she told us that there were some government inspectors expected at the baby house on Friday and no parents were allowed. So we were headed to the baby house today.

Instead of the afternoon we went around 10:00 like our old schedule. When we got there Az was in a speech class and the caregiver said he would be out in a few minutes. About 10 minutes later he gets to the room. He was dressed in a khaki t-shirt and bright fuschia leggings. He of course recognizes us and heads right for Amy. He spends some time with her and then he wanted me to hold him. After a little of this we headed down to the play room. The kids were not allowed outside today because it was much cooler today compared to yesterday.

Since he had just finished speech he was very talkative. They must have been working on the vowel sound I, because everything was I I I I I I I . He enjoyed it very much. He did say papa a few times and we tried to get him to say momma but he wouldn’t. He will eventually say it and then it will be momma, momma, and momma for everything. We played for just over an hour with the trucks, blocks, stack toys, the riding truck and a few other things. He had a sound for everything. He also likes to crawl under the table and look out at us. I am really looking forward to building him a tent out of blankets and furniture when we get home.

After the visit we stopped at the Gros to pick up some more popcorn for the long weekend. We would not see Az again until Monday so we needed something of a treat for that cruel and unusual punishment. We made our way home and fixed some lunch and decided what was best to do the rest of the day to pass the time. We made a plan for the weekend to go to the mall, to the park and hopefully we would make that river cruise again.

Well that is all for today. We will talk again soon.

Love, Dave and Amy

Wednesday, May 30, 2007






8 Days and Counting

Our schedule of seeing Az seems to change daily. We went to see Az this afternoon around 3:15. This made the morning very relaxing. Amy did the “Biggest Loser workout” and I poked on the internet.

Instead of our normal visit today, we took Az to get his passport pictures made. We were a little worried about how he would react. Would he be scared and cry or would he be squirmy and not sit still. Only time would tell. When we got to the baby house, they were getting him dressed. Tanya asked them to put him in something that matched. They brought him to us all decked out in bright orange (Chad you would have loved it). He had orange stockings, orange shorts, orange shoes, and orange shirt. We walked to the car to wait on the lady from the babyhouse that would go with us. While we were waiting at the car (keep in mind that today was the hottest it has been probably around 85 and there is no air conditioning in the cars and they don’t really roll the windows down much), Amy decided to change his shirt. We brought a blue and green plaid long sleeve button down for him to wear and his khaki hat. Amy rolled the sleeves up to help with the heat but we were all sweating by the time left.

The car ride was a bit scary for Az. He probably has not ridden in a car since he was brought to the baby house in January 2006. Then he was only about 5 months old. Sergei drives a Toyota van with two bench seats. Amy and Az were in the middle seat and I was in the back seat. Because there are no child restraint laws, Az went back and forth between Amy and I. He would get scared, reach for me and sit for a little, then he would get scared, reach for Amy, and sit with her. It was like playing musical laps in the car. We finally realized that it was the big bumps that really scared him. Finally, we made it to the photo shop.

Az did great. He had his serious face on and sat perfectly still for the photographer. The photographer only had to take one shot. The added bonus was that Az was not smiling because of the car ride and heat which made the photo easier to take. You might not know this but you’re not allowed to smile for passport pictures. After the photo we waited for the finish product and started back to the baby house. This time both Amy and I sat in the middle seat. Az started off in my lap facing front so he could see out but ended up in Amy’s lap looking out the side window. This trip was much easier. He did not get as upset as going. Car rides will just take him some time to get used to.

After our adventure with the car ride and photos we headed back home for some dinner and a movie. The evenings are getting harder to get through since all the movies are reruns. We don’t seem to enjoy any of them. Hopefully things will move a little quicker.

Talk to you all soon
Paka,
Love David and Amy

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

9 Days and counting

Yeah!!! We finally made it in to single digit waiting days. Not too much longer!!!!!
We woke up today wondering what we would do since we were not able see Az. After laying around for most of the morning, we decided to take a walk to the ferris wheel park and take a few pictures. We felt like animals on display at the zoo. Everyone found it very interesting to stare at us. Many of the people here stare at you and give you a double take if you smile when passing. It’s been difficult to get used to since we smile at people back home. After our hour on display, we walked back home stopping at Au Map (pronounced like I Mar) to pick up a few things. The grocery store seems to be one of our favorite places to go these days. They did not have everything we wanted so on the final leg home Amy walked to the corner store while I came on up to the apartment. The phone was ringing as soon as I walked in the door. It was Tanya wondering where we had been. She invited us to go on a river cruise on the Irtysh River with her, Svetlana, and Svetlana’s son Danu. We couldn’t wait. Sergei picked us up around 4:30 and he needed to exchange some USD to Tenge so we stopped at a nearby bank. It took him about 20 minutes to do this, which made us late picking up Svetlana. We raced to the boat dock hoping there was still time. Unfortunately, we arrived about 30 seconds too late (the boat left at 5 pm). Even Svetlana could not get the lady to hold the boat for us. Since we missed the boat we decided to eat at one of the small cafes at the river. I had pork shish kabobs and Amy had chicken shish kabobs. They were ok but nothing like Memphis shish kabobs. We had a good time talking with Svetlana and Tanya during dinner. Hopefully we can catch the river cruise another day. After dinner we went home and ended the day with movies and 24 episodes.

We are looking forward to seeing Az tomorrow and talking to all of you soon.

Paka,
Love David and Amy

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Monday, May 28, 2007





10 days and counting

We got to see Az today but it wasn’t until 3:00 in the afternoon because Tanya had an exam in the morning. So, we decided to clean the apartment to waist some time. Normally they want us to let them know it needs cleaning and they will bring someone in to clean, but we did it just to do something. It made us feel better for the floors, bathroom and kitchen to be cleaned, and for the sheets to be changed. It felt good to do something besides watching TV.

3pm rolled around pretty fast and the visit was a really good one. Az had just got up from his nap (1-3pm). Directly after their naps, they get a snack. Since we had come to visit they quickly put on another layer of clothing and sat him down for his snack, which included a piece of coffee cake and a cup of apple juice. He had a death grip on the tea cup he was drinking from and sucked the juice down in under a minute. We were surprised he didn’t choke himself. Amy and the caretaker had to pry it from his hands. After he had his juice it was on to the cake which he thoroughly enjoyed. By the time he finished, he had it all over himself and the table. Just something we have to look forward to.

We decided to stay inside and were treated to more sounds than we have heard before. He is definitely ready to roll after a nap. We successfully destroyed every corner of the room. He found new ways of making noise and was very impressed with himself over the fact that he could raise the two stacking toys above his head. While he raised the toys above his head, he made a great sound as he thought, something like a wow or ta-dah. He was so proud of himself and his accomplishment. He also liked to bang the toys on the table making as much noise as possible. He would get very excited when Amy would spin the round disks on the table. He would shake his hands back and forth and hand Amy the disk to repeat the action. Then he would try to get the disk to spin by dropping it onto the table. He had a grand time playing.

We really had a good time. After our visit we stopped by the store for a few supplies and went home for dinner. Trying to find anything out of our current routine of vegetables or pasta, we decided to pop some popcorn and settle in for a movie.

Unfortunately we will not see Az tomorrow but are looking forward to Wednesday.

Talk to you all soon,
Love, David and Amy

Sunday, May 27, 2007



11 days and counting

This was a day spent watching the rain. It rained all day. We had not checked the weather in a few days and were not expecting it. We had planned to go back to the park but that was out of the question. So we basically spent the day reading, watching VH1 or CNN and movies. Amy also started an extremely difficult puzzle of a castle set in a wooded area. She didn’t finish it until Monday afternoon.

Saturday, May 26, 2007







12 days and counting

Today we were not able to get to the baby house to see Az. So we decided to go run some errands. We exchanged some money for food and souvenirs at the Tsum, which is one of our favorite shopping spots. After buying some things we decided to go to the park at the end of the street that Yakov’s apartment is on. This is the park that Bobby and Kim went to last year.

We really had a great time at the park. They have a ferris wheel that will give you a good view of Pavlodar. We did not go up because it was packed with people wanting to ride. There are several other rides for children. There are several vendors set up along the walk way selling drinks, popcorn, ice cream, and cotton candy. We didn’t try the cotton candy but we vowed to get some next Saturday. Amy can’t wait. Then, we checked out some other places and found a stage where there were musicians setting up. It was a group of about 15 people ready to play. This must be a regular event because there were several people there to listen including a group of older Russian women between 60-70 years old. We found a bench in the shade to enjoy the music. To our surprise all the older Russians started dancing when the music started. There were only 2 men dancing and probably about 12 women. Most of the pairs were women, who had set partners and were having a grand time dancing. Amy and I were enjoying the music and the scene when at the beginning of the second song we had another surprise. Amy was rocking and swaying to the music when one lady spotted her. She pointed to Amy wanting her to get up and dance. We were completely caught off guard, embarrassed, and did not get up. Only the large group of women was dancing and all the younger people were sitting and watching. Maybe next time we will dance. We sat and listened for a little longer hoping that the lady who had motioned for Amy to dance would not come over and get her to dance.

After our trip to the park and the mall, we went back home and got ready to go to dinner. We decided we would go to the Irish Pub. I got the cayenne steak and potatoes and Amy got a grilled chicken salad. Both dishes were great. The pub seems to be our favorite dinner spot, but it doesn’t compare to our favorite spots in Memphis.

Paka,
Love, David and Amy