Meeting Anelya

We woke up early and got our belongings in order and went down to breakfast. I have to say, Mom tried several different things and really liked them! She ate their porridge, which is like Cream of Wheat with sweetened milk, some omelette thing, an egg and some cheese. I am really proud of all of the firsts Mom is delving into.

We went up and grabbed out bags and came down to check out at 10:00a.m. Leo and Kate came to pick us up at 10:20 and we headed to the airport. I was quite certain we would be charged overweight on the domestic flight and, sure enough, we were charged for 37 kilos overweight. It wasn't a big deal, just a hassle. I had Mom stay put with the carryons and I went back out into the terminal and wanted to pay by credit card, but the machine was broken. And so, we went on a wild goose chase for a money exchange. We ended up getting a pretty decent exchange rate for being at an airport. Once that was done, I needed to go back to the terminal with the non-functioning credit card machine, pay her cash (Tenge), and then make my way back through security with my receipt, back to check in so I could get a stamp. Oy vay.

Then we went through security again and waited until they called our plane. I have to say, my Russian is coming in very handy. I am sure we would have done fine without it, but it does make it easier get stuff done more quickly. I was able to understand in the security line that something was causing my suitcase to sound an alarm. They asked me about batteries. I said yes and then I offered to open it. That was great because they just looked said ok and there was no further trouble.

We hopped on a HOT bus with no a/c or open windows and roasted for a solid 10 minutes until they decided to close the doors, charbroil us a bit more and then released us onto the tarmac where we climbed onto a 38 passenger plane. Before we could do that though, we had to carry our large luggage up the stairs of the plane to be stored at the back of the plane. I sent Mom in to grab us two unassigned seats and I set out to take our 4 large suitcases full of everything BUT clothes for us (we actually packed very lightly in terms of clothes). Luckily, a nice young man my age took pity on me and did it for me. Thank GOD. So, we sat in the airplane chairs which do not differ much from old movie chairs and almost croaked in the heat. I mean it was stifling. Again, Mom was awesome and said, "I guess we better get used to it". And we did. We took off on time and the cabin temperature became very comfortable. Both Mom and I fell asleep and woke up shortly before we landed in Semey.

A fun side note - the steward came by with candies for everyone. When he got to us he said, "Olga/ Semey?" At first I didn't understand what he was saying and then it clicked. Yes, we are with Olga in Semey. Speak Russian and I will understand you! HAHA. Then he came back and said, "Andrea?" I am thinking what the heck is going on? Is the KGB after me AGAIN? HAHA. And then he told me to leave our bags, they will deliver them to us in the terminal. I mean seriously people, I haven't even landed in Semey and I know people. LOL

We walked on the tarmac to the terminal and there were Olga, our lawyer/coordinator, Larissa, our interpreter, and Pasha, our driver. While we were driving to the hotel, they went through some of the logistics about what was to go down at the baby house. They asked us questions about what type of children we were looking to adopt - race? gender? age? I was prepared for these routine questions and answered them as I had been prepped for. I felt so incredibly prepared thanks to my LMI coordinator and my friends who have gone through the process.

We got to the hotel and dropped off our stuff. And then we were off to the baby house! This picture was taken of me in the car as we were driving toward the baby house gates. You can tell how I feel in this picture.

Bit of a psycho smile, but I'll give myself some slack! Hey! I've never had a bigger moment!

I was told that I would meet with the Baby House Director first. I invited Mom to join me. I wanted the Director to know how supportive my family is of expanding our family through international adoption. We were invited into his office with Olga (lawyer) and Larissa (interpreter). I greeted the Director in Russian and we chatted briefly. However, once he started asking official questions, I relied on Larissa because I didn't want to mess anything up.

He was a very nice man who CLEARLY is interested in the best interest of the children for whom he is responsible. He asked me to introduce myself and tell him a bit about me. I basically got through my name and started choking up when I told him that I am here because I want more than anything to be a mother. I told him I come from a strong, loving family who values education and culture. I told him how my time in the former USSR and in Sweden made me who I am. I told him that Kazkahstan is the 26th country I have been to and that I have always lived an internationally rich life. We discussed my hobbies and work. He then asked me what type of child I would like to see. I told him a baby girl, as young as possible, preferably Asian, but race didn't matter. Then Olga disappeared.

We continued to talk. He asked me why I had not decided to give birth to a child. Dude, don't even get me started! I answered him, "I have not met the right man yet and I do not want to have a baby with the wrong man which will only create problems for the child and for me in the future." He seemed pleased with this honest answer, got a twinkle in his eye and then replied, "I will find you a baby and a boyfriend." We all burst out laughing. And as we were laughing, the door opened and Olga came in with the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.

She looked right at me with her big eyes and I gasped. Mom was just saying "oh my God. Oh my God". Olga handed Anelya to me and I just started kissing her and couldn't stop. I came armed with a little rattle ring with a soft lion on it which she took to immediately and started shaking it around while looking at me and smiling. She was also very smiley toward her grandmother. The Director had a very warm smile on his face and asked me if I had any questions about the baby. I asked a few about her history. I got some answers, not many. He then asked me if I would like to bond with this baby. I said, "Absolutely!" about 6 times between kissing Anelya's gigantic cheeks. In Russian, they were all talking about how beautiful she is. I chimed in in Russian as well and said, "Yes she is very beautiful." They all laughed at the pathetic new mom who KNOWS her child is the cutest in the world.

We were escorted into the bonding room where we met another couple who is adopting a baby. Turns out they are from Massachusetts, so Anelya already has a mini-Semey network set up in New England! I was calm with her and just sort of cuddled her for a while until she started showing real interest in playing. We walked around the room, played with the rattle, and had some fun tummy time (see the videos!). After about a half an hour, Anelya was drenched in sweat, so I took off her hat and her onsie. She seemed very happy and became much more active.

Anelya loves to be kissed. She is ticklish in her tummy and lets out a great giggle. She is very engaging and interested. She also loves to suck on my pointer finger. Today I found that she is easily able to roll onto her back from her tummy and then back in the other direction with no help. She is also about less than a week from being able to sit on her own. In all, she seems to be very developmentally on track.

We were able to spend about 2 hours with Anelya before it was time to take her to the infant room to sleep. We were able to see into the room, but not go in just yet. There were lovely colorful wooden cribs and a very nice, seemingly kind staff of caretakers whom Anelya went to with no problem. We then went back to the Director's office and he asked me if I wanted to continue to bond with her. I said oh yes of course. She is perfect. He got a huge smile on his face and said, "Ok". Mom graciously thanked him very much as we left his office and told him how happy we are.

It was quite a day. I am not sure how I will sleep tonight.