 | Jeff says:
Ok, so we shortchanged y'all an entry and some photos for the first day of September. In Kazakhstan,
this is the first day of school, and is remembered as a holiday: the "Day of Knowledge." As far as I
could tell, this means that a whole bunch of teenage girls dress up in french maids' outfits (or
something rather similar, which I'm told is the traditional school uniform of yesteryear) and go hang out
in the park. Hundreds of them. Oh, The Man Show would have spontaneously combusted.
I
think we should have this holiday in the United States.
But I digress...
I wanted
to write so much yesterday. I wanted to write about how Alex woke up in the middle of the night the
first night, looked around with a, "Holy mackerel! Where the heck am I?" expression...and then calmed
when he realized who was there. He immediately fell back asleep. It was such an encouragement to see
the relaxation immediately take hold, bonding and trust already having been established.
I
wanted to write about the fact that he's discovered a new passtime: using dad to pull himself up into a
standing position.
But I'm writing about it now instead.
So we flew business class
to Almaty. Actually, as I write this, we're only "halfway" through the trip. I'm currently sitting in
the Atyrau airport on the edge of the Caspian Sea. The freakin' Caspian Sea!! What the heck am I doing
out here?
Then again, we flew business class. I have never flown business class before. It
was only a 45 minute flight, but I have never been so comfortable on a plane in my entire life. As of
now, I would fly business class anywhere. Heck, I would go business class on the TITANIC! (Assuming
Leonardo DiCaprio would sacrifice his life for me at the end.)
...almost 24 hours
later...
The only problem with flying business class overnight is that you wind up
sleeping through the meal. Rumor has it that it was tasty.
But you all want to hear about my
son.
Ah, my son. Yesterday, he was Mr. Fussy. We're trying to follow his schedule for now
exactly as it was in the babyhouse. We therefore woke him up at 6:00am to give him a bottle, let him
play for a while, and then set him back to bed. The whole idea of sleeping in a suitcase didn't quite
work out (our cases aren't big enough), so he slept on the bed with one or the other of us in shifts, the
other hanging out in an armchair. Neither of us slept much that night.
But in any case, I got
him to fall back asleep in the morning after his bottle, then I went to take a shower. Near the end of
my shower, I could hear at least one of the Schebler kids next door screaming his head off. I felt very
sorry for them, until I got out of the shower (in which I took my time enjoying the refreshingly hot
water) and realized that it wasn't one of the Schebler's kids.
Ah, but with a combination of prayer, singing, and a daddy's touch (what's the difference, really?) we got the job done.
This afforded me an hour to go for a walk, shop for posters and music, and stop in during Liturgy at the church.
Holy smokes! [The Orthodox readers are hereby absolved from failing to chuckle at the poor pun.] The priest looked like he was about 22, and the spitting image of a cross between Vladimir Lenin and Johnny Depp! Now THERE'S a scary mix! Then again...maybe not. They'd probably be in good company. The average age of the parishioners was probably around 60, and the median age was probably a bit higher. Most of the congregation was grey-haired babushkas eagerly awaiting a daily does of Eucharist. I didn't stay for that, of course, as I hadn't had an opportunity to talk to the priest beforehand, and doubt that he would have understood my English anyway. I lit a few candles and split onward to my other errands.
I found the posters I wanted: a chart of the Kazak and Russian alphabet in one place, a map of the world in Russian, and a map of Kazakhstan. I then went to the music store and tried my best to explain what I wanted. I think I got the right things (but still haven't listened to confirm). Apparently, regular compilations of chart-topping hits always feature cover inserts with photographs of scantily-clad Russian women. Nice. At least they were only about $3.00 a piece. I mean the CDs, not the scantily-clad Russian women.
I took my purchases home and showed Dina. She was a bit shocked by the appearance of the CDs, but I reassured her that I was interested in the music, not the cover art. (They weren't dressed as french maids.)
The rest of the afternoon was spent taking turns feeding, amusing, playing, and packing. It was a madhouse. I don't know how we got everything packed. When we arrived in Uralsk, we had one or two suitcases full of gifts to distribute to people who were helping us, or to the older children at Zhas Daurien. Somehow, yesterday, we still filled up all the suitcases...and we didn't buy that much while we were there.
About 45 minutes before we were scheduled to leave, I made a final attempt to take a video tour of the apartment. I turned on all the lights and started to go from room to room. About two minutes into the tour, during the first room, the power blew out. That was that. Our final hour in Uralsk was without power. I have no idea what I did to the fuse, but I couldn't do anything (with three different fuses and a mismatched set of threads) to get it to work.
We went to the airport, met our "replacements" (two couples just arriving, from San Francisco and Wisconsin), unexpectedly bumped into Terry Young (aforementioned Peace Corps fellow), and let the WPA folks handle our checkins and luggage identification and papers and such. I cannot quite say how the final goodbyes were--in a sense--anticlimactic. I will miss that place, and those people. it was a fantastic journey, and a wonderful way to spend (as I calculated it) a little bit over one percent of our marriage up to this point.
And back to my son... Wow, what a trooper! That's all I can say. I had images of three children in business class, all of whom had no clue how to equalize pressure, all screaming at the top of their lungs under the mistaken impression that someone or something was attempting to rip their brains out through their ears. Alex was wide awake but completely quiet as we boarded the plane, as we put the baggage up in the overhead compartments, and as we settled into our comfy chairs. Alex was wide awake when we pulled back from the gate. Alex was wide awake as we taxied around the airport.
Alex fell asleep the instant the engines revved to full power for takeoff.
Alex stayed asleep for that whole one-hour first leg. During the landing process, *I* had the second-worst sinus/ear pain experience I have ever had on a plane flight, but Alex stayed asleep. *I* felt like screaming my head off under the certain suspicion that some unseen force was attempting to open my clogged ear canals with a pitchfork (semi-reference to "Weird Al" Yankovic intended).
Alex slept. He is my hero.
And my ears popped, eventually, so Dina did not have to take care of Alex *and* a whimpering baby.
The second flight was something like three or four hours long. I don't remember much of it. Dina woke me up about 30 minutes before the end because she hadn't slept a wink. I took Alex and let her rest, but it wasn't much. We landed at 4:15. We eventually found our luggage at the baggage claim, but it seemed to take them a while. Half of the plane's luggage came out within a few minutes. The rest seemed to meander around Moscow and Yekaterinburg for ten minutes or so until all five of my bags spat out together. That was fun. Of course, in the meantime, I noticed there was a nice, new Samsung widescreen TV playing some violent movie with a lot of profanity there in the waiting area. Charming. Above the screen was a printed sign that read "LCD TV." I wanted to find the person whose job it was to print such things and let them know I thought he or she was doing a superb job.
In the men's room, there was a NO SMOKING sign in Russian (universal symbol, of course), as well as lettering stenciled over the automatic-flush urinals that said DO NOT TOUCH in English. I know these people believe they will build a paradise by 2030, but the only reason I can deduce for the discrepancy is that they are convinced that Americans are smart enough not to smoke in the restroom, but too stupid to know not to touch an automatic-flush toilet. Wow.
We eventually found Dilnoza, learned that Sasha was to be our driver (which is great, really, as his English skills are superb!), and also found that his Mitsubishi wagon is only a day old. In fact, he tried to get in on the wrong side as we were leaving. (Cars here are not consistent with regard to which side the steering wheel is on. It simply depends on where it was manufactured.) He also is, frankly, learning to drive an automatic. He hasn't quite got the hang of reverse yet.
Our apartment here certainly looks newer than the one we had in Uralsk, but it lacks the charm. It's more like a glorified college dorm room. We have two bedrooms, a dining/kitchen room, a spacious-enough living room, and bath and laundry rooms. It has circuit breakers! It's on the third floor, and there's no elevator. The big fan doesn't work (sparks instead of turns, so we're giving up on that one), and we've already had the refrigerator replaced (with one that, like, turns on when you plug it in?).
We tried to rest this morning. It worked for a few hours. Dina slept in one room, and I curled up on the big bed in the corner of the other room, so that I was blocking Alex between me and two walls. It worked out alright. Dina says we both snored.
We woke up and hung around in the apartment for a few hours, until we started analyzing why we felt so poorly. We reached two conclusions: (1) our remaining bottled water was being rationed, and all rations were going to Alex, and (2) we hadn't had a real "meal" in over 48 hours.
We each took a chance to shower, and inadvertently learned something about our son's psychology. When Dina emerged from the shower with a green towel around her hair, he saw her and began to wail. I can only imagine the poor baby's thought process: "That ugly green thing is eating my mom and it's coming to get me next!" She immediately figured out the problem, took off the towel, and all was well. Poor little guy. Although he loves playing peek-a-boo, we are going to keep him at the beginner's level for a while.
We got Alex ready with a nice bath (hence today's ducky picture), and I took him shopping at the Ramstor. Think of it as a Russian Fred Meyer. That's Costco with a Safeway-style grocery section, for those of you who've never been to Portland. I found everything I was looking for (and then some!) less a new fan. Oh well. I found a large pizza for 430 Tenge and a loaf of bread for 45 Tenge. The reader is encouraged to use the links to the left for clarification of the meaning of such things. The pizza was GOOD! And the bread, which was RIGHT out of the oven, would have sold for $2-3 a loaf back home.
Alex behaved like a little angel. He even flirted with the pizza baker, a young Kazak lady. He is so consistent. He clearly finds Kazak women attractive. (Watch out, Josies Shaw and Lester! Alex will be home soon!) Perhaps he's just experiencing Assia withdrawal.
Tonight he demonstrated a new skill. Three weeks ago he couldn't even really sit up straight (still can't really), but now, with assistance, he not only can stand, but he does it when we TELL him to! He understands! I am so proud of my little smart man.
And now I shall sleep. I was going to finish the main chunk of my paper tonight. Ok, maybe tomorrow.
Two notes
1) I have oft seen questions of the type: "What one invention has most changed the world?" I now have a new low-tech answer: the pacifier. It pacifies. Really. I can't believe how easy it is to get this little boy to go to sleep with one of those things in his mouth. That's a permanent addition to our home now.
2) A cultural note: Mr. Clean is Mr. Proper here in the former Soviet Bloc. He has the same appearance, and the tune to his jingle is the same. I wonder if Mrs. Clean is aware that he is living a double life.
|
|
 | Dina says:
So where was I? Oh yes, I was perched on a chair in our apartment in Uralsk watching my beautiful baby sleep like a little angel. Things were a bit busy between that moment and now, so now that I have a moment, I will fill you in on everything. I will warn you this is a long entry, but I had to make up for lost time. I apologize if there are typos, or mistakes, but I am quite tired, and need to go to bed as soon as I’m done with this. So here we go, I’m picking up where I left off.
Alex slept well that first night in the apartment. I woke him up for a bottle at midnight since that’s what the caregivers did for him. I really didn’t feel like changing his schedule on him right away. Once I got the flow of the bottle right (Jeff had to cut the nipple so the flow was faster) everything was just fine. He’s so adorable when he wakes up, and after his bottle, he just wanted to play. At one in the morning, I didn’t feel like playing, so I kept the lights low, and rocked him back to sleep. He was a bit fussy, but not too bad. He woke up at 6 in the morning, had a bottle, and then played for a couple hours. Then he got up, we fed him some rice cereal mixed with some fruit juice, and he played with some of his toys. He took a nap, then ate and played. Wash, rinse, repeat. What a nice lifestyle he’s got!
At eleven, Philippich picked us up and we went to a park along the Chagan River. It was so beautiful! We got a few pictures to share. Jeff carried Alex in the Snugli, and they both seemed to love it. We kept seeing groups of teenagers walking through the park in unusual outfits. The girls were all dressed in what looked like French maid outfits. The boys were in white shirts and black pants. It wasn’t until Assia and Masha showed up that we learned September 1 is Knowledge Day in Kazakhstan. Apparently, the French maid outfits are actually a costume of what people used to wear all the time. I didn’t get the whole story because I was too busy fawning over Alex, but it was interesting to see. All of the teenagers were staring and laughing at us. You could hear them talking and laughing and you’d hear “Amerikanski” here and there. At one point, Jeff yells over to a group of them (in Russian), “I can understand everything you’re saying!” Of course, he could not understand, but the looks on those boys’ faces were priceless! They yelled back (in English) “Yes, yes!”, then moved on to a different topic. It was quite amusing.
We came back to the apartment, and got everything packed up. We’d alternate between playing with Alex and packing, to it took a while. But we got it all done, and had over an hour to spare before Philippich came to pick us up. Alex started getting fussy at the end, and I could tell he was getting tired. We left for the airport, and Alex was very calm and quiet in the car. He was leaning in to me, and being extra snuggly. I think he knew something was up, but he really seems to trust me and feels comforted by me. That makes me very happy.
At the airport, Assia and Olga and Masha were running around getting things together for us. All I had to do was sit there and not worry about a thing. Again, these people are amazing. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. I didn’t cry, but I will miss them terribly. I will never forget them. We got on the plane and were instantly grateful that we upgraded to business class. It was really worth the few extra Tenge. I have never been so comfortable on an airplane. I held Alex almost the entire time. I reclined the chair all the way back, and Alex slept on me the entire time. One difficult part of the trip was having to stopover in Atyrau, a city due south of Uralsk. It took only an hour to fly there. They made everyone get off of the plane, even if they were continuing on to Almaty. We got on a transporter bus and were taken to a waiting terminal. We stayed there for about an hour, then took the bus back to re-board the plane. Why they didn’t just let us stay on the plane is a mystery to me. Anyway, Alex was a complete angel the whole time. Not a peep out of him, even though he was awake. He was in a dazed sort of state. I had him bundled up in a blanket and had a sleeping cap on him. All I could see were his huge brown eyes, his cute little nose, and his pacifier. Damir and A.J. also did really well on the flights. Thank God we made it through that first flight! It was good practice for the LONG trip home. The pacifier really seemed to help calm Alex and keep his ears from hurting. We’ll be using it on the way home, for sure.
Our plane landed at around five in the morning. We were met at the airport by Dilnoza and the two drivers. Sasha (no ponytail) is our driver, and I didn’t catch the Scheblers’ driver’s name. We were each taken to our apartments, and unfortunately we aren’t close like we were in Uralsk. This apartment is nice and bright. It has two bedrooms, a huge family room, and a nice kitchen. There’s only one bathroom in this apartment, as opposed to the two bathrooms we had when we were here for one night three weeks ago. I believe the Clifford family is in that apartment now. They are adopting two baby boys here in Almaty. I’m glad they got that apartment because it is very comfortable and nice for a long-term stay. We haven’t met them in person yet, but are looking forward to meeting them perhaps tomorrow (Friday) night.
We got a few hours of sleep this morning, tended to Alex, and waited for the facilitators here to give us a call. Jeff took Alex out to the Ramstore to buy some supplies. For those of you who don’t know, the Ramstore is a shopping mall where you can buy just about everything. Since I got close to no sleep last night, Jeff wanted to give me a break so I could catch up a bit. I didn’t end up getting much sleep because I had to wait around for the landlord to show up with a crib and to fix the refrigerator which wasn’t refrigeratoring. I was feeling extremely tired, hungry, and thirsty at that point. We had brought a bottle of water so we could make bottles for Alex. But it was running low and we didn’t want to use up that water. Jeff came home with a pizza and lots of drinks. I drank down some water and instantly started to feel better. After I had a few slices of pizza I felt even better. You see, we had not had a “real meal” in almost two days! We’d been snacking here and there, but nothing of real substance.
We got the call from the agency that our appointment was at six this evening. We met with Asiel and she helped us fill out some paperwork for the embassy and passport, I think. I am so grateful that we have such competent people here helping us! We were told that our medical appointment for Alex at the embassy is on Monday, and the meeting at the embassy regarding all of our paperwork is on Tuesday. While we were filling out the paperwork, After our meeting, Sasha (our driver) took us to get Alex’s visa and passport photos taken. I’m telling you, you’d be hard pressed to find cuter passport and visa photos ANYWHERE!!
We came home, fed Alex dinner, played a bit, then put him to bed. This was the first night I was able to sing to him for a bit, kiss him goodnight, and put him in his crib while he was still awake. Up until now, he’s always fallen asleep in our arms, then we’d put him to bed. I thought this was a good sign that I could sit next to the crib and sing to him and stroke his hair through the slats, and he still felt secure. He fell asleep fairly quickly. He’s woken up about three times crying since he’s gone to bed. Each time, I go in there, whisper and sing to him, and he falls back asleep. So far, this is going well. I hope this is an indication of how it will be after we get home.
Now that I got that all down, I figure if you’ve read this far, you deserve some cute Alex stories. I know I’ve been long-winded today. It’s partially because I didn’t post yesterday, and it’s also because I want to document this as well as I can. I know it’s also helping other families who are waiting for their turn to experience this joy. When I go back and read this years from now, I’m sure I’ll be glad I was so detailed.
Alex’s two favorite things to do are to play peek-a-boo, and to pull himself up to standing from a sitting position. Both will send him into fits of giggles. It’s the cutest thing EVER! I just about explode when he laughs like that. The standing thing is really fun because he really understands what we’re saying to him. We’ll say, “Alex, can you stand up?” and he’ll look at us, and crawl over and grab our hands. Then we’ll say, “Stand up, you can do it!”, then he’ll use his arms and legs to pull himself all the way up! Jeff and I cheer like blithering idiots, but he is SO proud of himself when we give him that praise. He jumps up and down and starts laughing and that makes us laugh harder, so HE laughs harder. It’s quite an event. Tomorrow, we’ll put the video camera on the tripod and try to get this on film. What’s amazing, though, is that he understands when we ask him if he can stand. He seems so intelligent, I can’t wait to see his development as he grows up.
Alex also LOVES to eat. He gets so excited when he sees me preparing his meals. He starts bouncing up and down and laughing. Then he does this really funny inhale laugh thing that makes it sound like he’s gasping for air. That kind of hilarious laughter coming out of a 9-month-old baby is SO funny! Again, that makes us laugh, and he laughs harder. He is such a happy baby! Praise God!
Alex definitely knows us and likes us. He smiles when he sees me and it melts my heart into a pool of love for this little man. He is like sunshine, and I am so blessed to be his mother. |
|
Comments for September 2
Comment from
Hazar | What a wonderful time for you two.... I can't tell you that I know how you feel about all this but I know that it is just wonderful... I have not seen the picutures in the last few days but I thought that I would post this now. Again we are preparing for a Hurricane, so we are running around like crazy to get everything we need before it hits Jacksonvilee. Back to you guys, I know that you are going to be great parents for Alex, He is so CUTE.......Tony,Marc,Nick and Nora send their love to all of you . The kids are excited to meet their new cousin.
Can't wait to see all of you and meeting Alex....God Bless you and love to all of you..Hugs and Kisses Too........Hazar | Comment from
Laura & Paul | I'm sitting here smiling after reading both of your entries. It's so obvious that you're happy, and I'm really happy for you. Alex sounds like a complete joy. Have fun during these last few days in Almaty, because it's almost time to come home. Just imagine how incredible it will be to have your home filled with the laughter of your adorable baby boy. What bliss! We can't wait to be where you are right now... | Comment from
Darcy | YOu people are killing me!!! :) This is such a wonderful thing to read - I love the detail and the excitement you are sharing with all of us.
It sure seems like Alex is feeling secure and safe with you and I love the laughing stories.
Jeff - are you from Portland? It was a little blast of home when you mentioned Fred Meyers.
Have a safe stay there and a safe flight home. | Comment from
Aunt Janet Holton | I am so happy for you both. Mr. Alexander Jeffrey Holton WOW! I was away again and finally catching up a little, actually a LOT!
I love the security your son has in your presence and can imagine the alarm of a green towel over your post shower hair. Yes, peek a boo is SO much fun! I used that when I dried the children's hair. Lifting the towel off to say "PEEK!" and planting a kiss on a nose or whatever I could reach. It made hair drying both fun, entertaining and sure distracted the "I'm scared tears".
Love you guys, and many prayers,
Aunt Janet | Comment from
Julianna | Hi you three! Yes, pacifiers (binkies in my house) are the best. I couldn't (can't) live with out them.
It really sounds like Alex trusts you guys. There should be no problem with the flight home. Can't wait to see you!
-Julianna | Comment from
Nana Nina | Oh, I'm so hungry for a little boy! Oops, I guess that could be misunderstood! Hey, don't teach him how to walk before you get home. A) You'll have the Dickens of a time in the airport! B) I want some cuddling with him, and I don't want to have to catch him to do it!!
You guys are real troopers, with that plane flight and all. We're all so looking forward to next week. Thank you so much for the length of the updated journal. It's a very precious keepsake. Dina, you're right. I think you will be very glad in future years that, despite how tired you are now, that you'll have this to read then. | Comment from
Corey Halls | Nothing like a good cry before bed: he is like sunshine and I am so blessed to be his mother. love the quote. am crying again. have fun in almaty and hope to see you soon!
corey halls :) | Comment from
Auntie Julie | I don't know you Corey, but you are so right about that quote! Dina, you brought me to tears with that one! What happiness! Such joy! So well-deserved. I am ecstatic for all of you, and the closer we get to September 8, the more anxious I become! I am so excited to meet him!!! So excited that I've been walking around with a huge smile, wearing an "I'm a Proud Aunt" button that my friend Ruth made me.
The trip home will be just fine, so don't even waste a second worrying about it. At first I thought 3 weeks of visitation seemed like SUCH a long time, but it is clear that that bonding time is crucial, and it has obviously secured Alex's complete trust in you. Rightly so, I might add!
I am showering you with prayers and good thoughts. Enjoy the last few days in Almaty before your glorious homecoming!
love,
Julie | Comment from
Auntie Julie | P.S. I loved the first pic from yesterday, with the stripey-sleeved shirt! SO cute. I want to eat him up! | Comment from
Thea Evonne | I'm so happy for the three of you. Alex seems like such a sweethart. I'm glad things are going smoothly for you. I am eagerly waiting your return. | Comment from
Vikki | | Comment from
Vikki | What can I say?? I'm a slow learner!! Don't hit return! I'm so happy for you three! Reading this always leaves me teary eyed then I can't write! I can't believe you are going to be home in just a few days!! Life will never be the same :) | Comment from
Katherine & Andy | Just want you to know that I have just added Alex to the Alfieris Family Chronology. He has brought the number of living members to EXACTLY 100!
It sure would be nice if he could be at the Sept. 11 picnic so we can celebrate his coming into our family!
| Comment from
Lou Evans | Today's entry is the most entertaining yet!! Cannot wait to see him in person (oh, and you two, also). |
|
 |
previous
day
|
|
next
day
|  |
|
|