Odds & Ends

CUTE ALERT
I added more photos of recently home Kaz Cuties to my post from February 19. I've been asking for permission from parents, and it is taking me awhile to get around to asking everyone who has recently returned. I'd love to add even more photos; To help me do this more quickly, if there are any parents out there who have recently returned with a Kaz child and are okay with me sharing a photo, will you please e-mail me at regina (at) ruopoli (dot) com? I can just copy it from your blog, or you can e-mail me a favorite. All those photos are making the loading time for my front page a bit long, but it's worth it. It's fun to see all these adorable and diverse faces in one place!

MO STUFF
This Kazakhstan Air Force Pilot Navigator Wings Badge was a gift from me to Frank. Frank loves aviation and nearly earned his pilot's license several years ago. He now sticks to studying aviation history and building/flying his fleet of remote control airplanes with is flying buddies, Team Kaput. When I found this pin on eBay I just HAD to get it for him. There is a good sized Pilot School in Aqtobe where many pilots were trained during the Soviet Era. It is located very close to the Baby House, so we hope we are able to take a tour when we're there.

I found this gorgeous Mei Tai carrier on eBay too. I wanted something that distributed weight more evenly to supplement the sling we bought in Portland. I was about to buy one from babyhawk.com when I found this one. (This was the seller's photo, so I've blurred the woman's face.)



Yes, I know it's completely impractical, being made of velvet and and embellished with beading, sequins and metallic embroidery, but I couldn't resist its beauty! I might also purchase a more casual Baby Hawk, and I'm also thinking about an Ergo carrier for Frank. Men seem to prefer it. I feel like I'm getting carried away here (pun intended) but from what I hear from "baby wearer" parents, having a variety of carriers is good for the ole back and a worthy investment. I've been so good about not buying baby clothes, so I guess it had to come out somewhere!

Thanks to the tip from fellow bloggers Kim and Jamie, we found some awesome "Rockabye Baby" lullabies on iTunes that are covers of rock/alternative classics. Our favorites are Led Zepplin's Going to California, The Cure's Just Like Heaven, Coldplay's Yellow and U2's Beautiful Day. These songs work really well as lullabies and don't make you want to smash the CD player after hearing them 27 times!

Our friends, Sean and Julia, were visiting from Asheville and brought us the cute little organic cotton bear that matches our crib bedding. They also gave us the classic book "Goodnight Moon" for our growing collection. Love them both!


Our talented 10-year old niece, Kirsten, made us this beautiful piece of artwork for the baby's room. It's reversible and has 2 very different, but equally cool sides! Now I just need to frame it.


Rosie continues to pick up fun little gifts for us. A recent favorite is this funny onesie:



TIMING
It sounds like things are moving along at an encouraging pace over in Kaz. I hope this keeps up and we really do get there by spring. Good thing I have a TON of stuff to keep me busy. Too much! I'm beginning to think I won't accomplish it all. Better sign off now so I can cross off some to do's before the sun goes down.

But first, below is a short story that I see a lot these days. It's very relevant to adoption, but also to so many other areas of life.

Enjoy and apply lesson liberally. :-)


The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley (1907-1977)

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die.”

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”