He Remembered Us

It’s been 2 days, 4 visits and about 10,000 kisses on those big chubby cheeks!

We are all blissfully back in the saddle again. Our little dumplin is doing great. He definitely remembered us, and we are all happy to be reunited!

All is well, and we are able to access dial-up internet in our apartment! We are operating at a blazing speed of 52 kbps. Wheeee! It took us a couple of days to purchase an iCard – sorry for the delay. (Thanks a million, Karla, for the use of your computer. It has worked like a charm.)

We arrived Tuesday morning, in just enough time to drop our things off at our apartment and have our visit with Milo. As we drove around the baby house to the main entrance we passed a group of children playing outside. It looked like Milo’s age group, but they went out-of-view too quickly to spot him. It actually was his group, and his caregiver saw us drive by and zoomed him upstairs for a face wash and change of clothes. When she carried him into the playroom we could tell he had been crying (probably because he didn’t want to come inside.) He looked back and forth at each of us while we both greeted him with an enthusiastic “Sah-lem!” He had this sweet half-smile and a funny, suspended expression on his face. I can only describe it as the kind of look a person gets when he doesn’t quite get the joke you just told, and he is waiting for it to click. Very amusing.

He came to us without a fuss and we sat down on the couch and held him close while he sucked his thumb and leaned into us. He was a little nervous and shy for a few minutes, but nothing like when we first met him. It wasn’t long before he started playing and interacting with us. He wasn’t completely himself, but I’d say about 50% on the first visit and now up to 90% on our fourth visit. He remembered all of our silly exchanges. For instance, whenever he coughed before, I would imitate him by making a very fake coughing sound with my tongue hanging out. He didn’t miss a beat – when he got choked drinking his apple juice, he actually looked at me and waited for me to do my fake cough. As soon as I did then he faked a cough too. Just like old times!

He is as handsome and charismatic as ever. He looks slightly taller and thinner. He seems to have lost a little of his strength, stamina and agility with walking and going up stairs, etc., but he will regain it very quickly. They trimmed his hair, so it’s not as “mullety” as before, but I kind of missed it at first!

A caregiver told us that he had a difficult time when we left. Very difficult. For about two weeks he would often cry at the door and be terribly upset, which he had never done before. Oh, how it breaks my heart to know that. She said that she would show him our pictures and he would smile. She also said that he carried around the little stuffed cheetah we left for him. Awww… Ok, no more sad stuff.

I’m excited to say that we have a different apartment this time -- and we love it! It’s large, very clean, well appointed, and there have been no mysterious smells! Photos are coming soon. It’s in a better neighborhood than our old place, across from the soccer stadium on the main street. It’s in the same building as Aina, our translator, so she is close if we need anything. We have a security gate around the building, and there is always someone in a security office inside the front door. I believe the residents take shifts there. Also, there is a convenience store right downstairs and several nearby restaurants and shops. The only drawback to being here is that it doesn’t have an air conditioner, but we really don’t mind! They gave us a fan, and the windows all open wide and have screens to keep the infamous mosquitoes out. When we feel overheated we simply take a cool shower. I actually like being in a more natural environment because it feels more visceral and in tune with nature. The days have been hot, but the evenings are pleasant, so with the fan in front of the window pulling in the night air we sleep like babies. Or rather, we sleep like 2 people who traveled for 3 days to get halfway around the world!

The rest of our trip was fine once we got out of Memphis. Nobody accused Frank of smoking in the restroom this time. :-) The only exception is that our luggage didn’t make it from Amsterdam to Almaty. It arrived in Almaty yesterday, and it should arrive in Aqtobe today. I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 5 days, so for a change when we are around the apartment I have taken to wearing a pretty, thin, flowered bath towel pinned into a lovely little strapless dress. Tres chic!

Amsterdam was chilly and rainy, so we grabbed a few hours again at the Mercure Hotel in the airport. I wanted to go into town anyway, but Frank was too tired and the chilly/rainy factor made me less inclined to drag him out. FOR FUTURE TRAVELERS this airport has a convenient “baby care” area. It is a beautiful, modernly designed, dimly lit room with about 6 cribs and a large counter with a sink. The cribs are circular, and flanked by semi-circular benches. Each crib area has a sheer curtain encircling it to enclose the space. There is also a small light in each area. It’s very well done, and there were only 2 cribs occupied when I peeked in. Nearby is a toddler playroom, with playground-style equipment for little tykes to wear themselves out. There is also an area next to the Meditation Center with a whole fleet of black leather lounges sitting in front of a plasma TV that plays soothing nature scenes with no sound. Many weary travelers catch some Z’s here. Also, if you are flying on KLM anytime soon, you shouldn’t miss one of their film choices – a documentary called Young at Heart. We both loved it and will be adding it to our documentary collection.

The French couple is still here -- Brigitte and Robert. They have stayed here the whole time! I don’t know how they’ve done it. They were here for 2 weeks before we arrived for our first trip, and they will still be here another week. They were able to take Tim from the baby house for good on Tuesday. We drove up for our afternoon visit just as they did, and we were all so excited to see each other. I’m so glad we got to be there to see their sweet moment of exodus. I snapped this picture just as they were leaving the playroom forever. They are really lovely people, and they will be in town for a few more days while more paperwork is being processed so we will try to get together. We exchanged e-mail addresses, so we can always stay in touch. Our kids are Kaz cousins, after all!

Our court hearing is still set for Monday the 14th. Gulnara couldn’t find the birthmother to write the final release, but she did find the grandmother. They will ask her to do it if they don’t find the birthmother soon. That part makes me a little nervous, but nobody has visited Milo the whole time he has been in the orphanage (since birth) so we have faith that it will all work out. It just has to. Please keep us in our thoughts.

Well, I'm off to enjoy some of that excellent Kazakh yogurt for breakfast. Maybe some fresh cherry juice too. The sun is just coming up and turning the sky to a pretty periwinkle. I like the way this apartment feels in the morning.

Love and hugs,
Frank, Regina and Milo