Zachary:
All went well today. We had our final meeting with Gulzhan's office and went to the U.S. Embassy to get Kai's passport and exit visa all squared away. There were about six other couples from WPA who are leaving on the same flight at the embassy. Everyone's eager to see their loved ones back home.
We had dinner tonight with Mike and Julie Clifford. They are here for another two weeks even though they arrived the same time we did. They're staying in Almaty where the babyhouse requires a six week stay and doesn't allow parents to take the kid(s) out of the orphanage until the day they travel to the U.S. They've already had their successful court date, so that hurdle is over for them. It's been great to share adoption experiences with other folks.
Well, this is our final Kazakhstan post. Hope everyone enjoyed following along. Everyone's support through the whole process made this trip not only bearable but enjoyable. April and I appreciate all the emails and phone calls from friends and family.
It's 7:45 pm here. We're packing up and Kai is sleeping after a big dinner. Our plane leaves Almaty at 4:30 tomorrow morning but we have to be at the airport at 1:00 am to get all our bags on and deal with the passport office. We've got a long 30 hours ahead of us. I hope Kai will be okay on the plane. We got a bassinet for both legs of the trip so he (and we) can sleep.
So...Dasveedanya everybody. Little Taylor is coming home.
April:
Well, this is it! Our last few hours in Kazakhstan. We are scrambling trying to consolidate as much of our stuff as possible so that we only have 1 extra bag, not 2. I might try to sleep for an hour or two, and then it's off to the airport.
This has been such an amazing experience. It has seemed both long and incredibly quick. We have really enjoyed ourselves, met wonderful people, made some good friends, and then, of course, there is Kai. Who would have thought that our son would be born half way around the world, in a country I had never given any thought to at all. There is no doubt that this baby was meant to be our child. The fit is perfect and the love we feel for him is indescribable. I suppose you other parents know what I mean. I finally get it now. We have waited a long time to be parents, and now that we are, we can't remember life without Kai. I'm sure we had fun, but please, how much more fun could it have been than having your son make fart noises on your leg with his mouth?
We are so grateful to all of you who have written and supported us on this trip. We had so much fun reading your posts and e-mails and we looked forward to them all day.
We have already talked to Gulzhan about coming back to Taldy-Korgan and will be talking to WPA about it soon as well. We were treated so well and had such a wonderful experience here that we are eager to return so that Kai can be a big brother to a little brother or sister (or both?).
So, in a couple of hours we are off to the airport with our many lbs of rugs, tapestries, gifts, and even some caviar. We will miss our friends here, but have turned our sights toward our family friends waiting for us at home. I can't wait to see our furry girls and see all of our beloved family. We are grateful that this good-bye isn't forever and that soon, with a little luck, we will be back.
We will post tomorrow when we get home, and then will keep the site updated regularly so any of you who are interested can see how Kai is settling in.
Talk to you from the States!
Love to you all!
p.s. sorry, no picture today, problems with the internet again. We'll add them once we are home!
