Home Sweet Home

I'm sure they meant to write "and Linda" as well!

Finally, together and home.

Nate in a milk coma, missing out on all the chips and salsa

We made it!  Our flight went 1,ooo times better than expected, Thank God!  As it turned out, there was a fellow WPA mom (Lisa) flying back home with a baby (James) on the first leg of our flight home.  It made all the difference knowing she was there with me and we helped each other out getting through the airports in Almaty and Frankfort and while on the plane as well.  Both of our boys did well considering the time of night we had to wake them and bring into a crowded airport.  Ya, so they cried a little on the airplane but what do you expect!  Luckily, the area they sat us in had a group of students flying for a leadership meeting so the majority of them were to busy listening to their iPods to notice.  

We went our separate ways in Frankfort but not before helping each navigate through the very crowded (high season for Europe) airport and find our gates for the next leg.  At my Lufthansa gate, I met an angel of an agent named Melanie that asked a few questions about Nate's Kaz passport which led us into a 20 minute conversation about adoptions in Kazakhstan.  She was genuinely interested and this was, coincidentally, my first (of many, I'm sure) conversations with a stranger about adopting Nate.  She was so touched and before I knew it, she upgraded my ticket to Business class.  I just about cried right there, at her counter (out of exhaustion and joy!).  Needless to say, her kindness along with a few passengers I met at the gate that just about carried us into our seats, made for a very pleasant and restful journey home to LAX.  

Once we landed at LAX, the first words out of Nate's mouth was "Papa".  I had just taught him how to say that and though he didn't know what it meant, he said it (oh, I wish I had that on tape!!).  

Nate and I got through immigration pretty smoothly and once we got our luggage, we found Papa waiting for us right outside the airport doors.  Nate immediately recognized him and happily went to him.  As much as I  love Nate, I loved handing him over to his Papa to start the special bond Nate and I have shared since he came home to my apartment in Karaganda.  

We arrived home to find our family and a few friends to welcome us home. Everyone was so excited to finally meet the Nate his parents couldn't stop raving about!  I was excited to eat delicious salsa and 3 different kinds of chips... yummy.  Mike (with help from our family and friends- THANK YOU!) had Nate's room ready and Nate had no problem falling asleep in his crib.  

I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to: first, meet such a wonderful boy. Second, have such wonderful family and friends that helped and supported us. And lastly, third, be able to stay the entire 9 weeks with Nate before bringing him home.  I'm glad I stayed for the entire trip and even though there were a few rough times, I wouldn't change a thing about Our Kaz Journey.  

So now, this blog that was started to keep everyone posted while we were in Kazakhstan will now continue as a blog to update everyone on our (now complete) family and our future adventures...

With joy,

Linda, Mike, and Nate

We're going home!!!!!!

This hike was (apparently) exhausting for Nate.

The ski resort outside of Almaty- makes me wish we were here in the winter!

The view from our 18th floor apartment window in Almaty.

I know I keep saying this, but it is so hard to believe we are REALLY going  home!  I have been in Kazakhstan for 9 weeks; it's hard to believe home still exists just the way I remember it.   And now that Nate and I have confirmed dates to fly back home, the reality of flying 25 hours alone, with a baby, is hitting me.  I didn't really think about the challenge I signed up for, it's just something I needed to do to get Nate home.  Up until last week, my travel partners were scheduled to fly back from Almaty to Frankfort with me and even though they would have their hands full with their 2 1/2 year old twins, I took comfort in knowing they will be with me.  And now (YIKES!) they are not!!!!

Don't worry, I'm not chickening out- I WILL BE HOME ON 7/24.  I'm just a little anxious.  I have been packing and repacking my carry-on bags every single night making sure I'm prepared for anything that comes my way.  The problem is, being prepared = heavy carry-on bags!  Not to mention carrying a rapidly growing baby boy (I swear he's gaining a pound/day!).  

Other than the stressful nights of planning for our journey home, we have been having a great time in Almaty.  All of our appointments have gone smoothly and we have all our documents ready.  I got Nate's Kaz passport the other day... it's adorable.  His passport picture was taken in the beginning of our trip (about 2 months ago) and his visa photo in his passport is current- it is amazing how much he has already grown.  We went to the SOS clinic for a physical exam by a very friendly South African MD; we spent most of the visit chatting about South Africa!  He gave Nate a clean bill of health and was full of compliments. 

These were the last days Nate and I had with our travel partners and their twins.  We said our goodbyes but I know we will see each other again.  It will be so weird not seeing someone you have seen daily for the last 9 weeks.   I guess everyone and everything I miss from home will be transferred in to missing them when I get home.

 I know there will be parts of living in Kazakhstan that I will miss as well.  My life has never been so simplified and quiet.  This journey has taught me the value of simplicity and I hope to carry that into our life back home.  I can't control the traffic, noise, and congestion of CA but I can live with a lot less "things" that I often think I need.  

Having said that, I need to get back to packing all the things Nate needs for the last leg of this wonderful journey.  If feels so good to know that we made it.... Nate is ours now and I get the honor of bringing him home to his Papa and our family and friends that are eagerly waiting for us in California.  

Thank you everyone for your love and support and I can't wait to see you all and introduce you to our Nate.  

See you tomorrow!

Linda and Nate

Goodbye Karaganda, Hello (again) Almaty

Our first flight

Well, Nate and I survived our first airplane trip to Almaty on Saturday night (7/18).  It was... tougher than I ever imagined but mostly because the flight was scheduled so late at night (11:50 PM).  Nate is a very curious little guy that doesn't want to miss a thing so he stayed up for the entire journey.  The 3 full bottles I packed for him was my saving grace-  as well as the nice strangers that helped me with my carry-on and stroller.  This was definitely great practice for the 25 hour travel back to CA in less than a week.  I have a newfound respect for all the mothers I have seen traveling with their babies.  

The toughest part of this flight was arriving in Almaty at 3:00AM AND discovering  my beautiful, modern  loft-style apartment had no crib.  After an hour of moving around heavy furniture, we finally went to bed. 

Luckily, Nate slept in a bit so we were ready to walk around town and get our water and groceries for the rest of our stay.  My travel partners had the same sort of experience (2 adults + 2 toddlers, 1 full size bed) so together we fought through the frustration.  We are so very close to coming home so we just try and focus on that.  

While in Almaty we have a few "free" days to site see so I scheduled a trip to the National Park just outside of Almaty for some fresh mountain air, a visit to the museum, and a stroll through Gorky Park.  

It's hard to believe we are going home soon.  

See you soon,

Linda and Nate

The Seventh Inning Stretch......

The last look back at the babyhouse

(Sorry for the delay in posting this entry- it’s been a little hectic!)
It’s been 7 weeks and Nathaniel Rhodes has FINALLY come home! Technically, he isn’t allowed out of town yet (another week?) but he can now live with us in our apartment here in Karaganda. In all honesty, it’s been the perfect way to have him adjust to another environment since the apartment is small and very quiet. It’s just about childproof since there isn’t much furniture and only a few electrical outlets to cover. There’s no crib but it’s nice having him sleep with me (for now, I promise!).

Going to the Baby House for the final time was a little sad for me. Although I am extremely excited to have Nate with me morning, noon, and night, I know I will miss the Baby house, his caretakers, and the other babies. Nate and I had tea and cake with the caretakers, got detailed feeding and sleeping instructions from Nate’s Baby House doctor (Dr Love), took our final pictures and said our goodbyes. Maybe we’ll see them again in a year or two... we’ll see!
Nate’s first car ride went smoothly (except the fact that they don’t have car seats!) and he took in his new environment surprisingly well. His eyes were wide open scanning our little apartment, everything is new for him including the fact that it is really quiet as opposed to his Baby House room full of screaming babies with multiple caretakers in and out of his room.
When we got to the apartment, it was time for his afternoon nap (they got 4, two hour naps a day at the Baby House- I think I’ll wean him off so many but wait ‘til I get home). As we laid in the bed he couldn’t stop laughing and playing, it was very sweet; he finally fell asleep a little later than his usual time and I had to wake him up at 7PM for dinner- he didn’t like that and I think he forgot where he was but as soon as I put him down on the living room mat with all his familiar toys, he was all smiles and laughter.
He ate, played, had a bath (he LOVES the water) and was ready for bed at 9:30, no problem. So far, he’s been sleeping like a champ while I’m wide awake and continuously checking in on him.
Welcome to motherhood, I guess.
Wish us luck!Linda

The Countdown Begins!

Sorry Nate! I couldn't resist!

Our 8th week....
After a few days of adjusting (and recovering from colds), we have now figured out a routine. After the first night, things didn’t go so smoothly, but now we have most the kinks worked out and there is finally time to catch up on the computer.
Since bringing Nate home, there have been many new milestones accomplished; it’s amazing how quickly he is learning things now that he is home with one-to-one attention 24/7. The top 3 new milestones are: responding to his new name, definitely knows who mamma is, and (my favorite) he has learned how to give mamma a kiss.
We got some good news as well, it looks like our documents will be ready for us to fly to Almaty this weekend. Which means we will be leaving Karaganda on Saturday (7/18). In Almaty, we will take care of a few more things (medicals and US Embassy stuff) then we should be flying back home to CA next Thursday (7/23). I can’t tell you how very exciting it is to be able to count the number of days left before we go home now. I’m glad I was able to stay here as long as we have and wouldn’t change a thing but it’s been 55 days now in Kazakhstan... we are ready!
Lots of Love,
Linda

Happy 4th of July

Our first 4th of July at the Baby House

Celebrating with the Crutchfield's (Jessica, Chris, and their twins- Adler and Aidan)

It’s the 4th of July!!!!

We are now entering our 7th week of this unforgettable journey. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to live in Kazakhstan for as long as it takes to bring home this dream of ours named Nate.  Karaganda is beautiful and the people are kind; I will have many wonderful memories to share with Nate about his homeland.  Living here is truly a lot easier than I thought it would be and having such great travel partner’s (Jessica and Chris) to get through the occasional hard times has made all the difference.  

But.... it’s been 45 days since we left California.  When I woke up this morning and realized it’s the 4th of July was when I realized how homesick I am now.  I missed my home, family, and friends from day one- but now I really miss everything American (just not the traffic and crime!). It’s felt like forever since I have seen the Pacific ocean, driven my Prius, had a thick juicy grilled chicken breast, walked my dogs, and gone shopping!!! Occasionally we stumble across a store/restaurant/food product that is from America and I can’t tell you how very happy and excited we get! One of the grocery stores just got a new shipment of foods from the States-  a limited amount, but enough to look through each and every shelf, twice, so not to overlook anything.  Peanut butter, regular mustard, and the biggest score.... a package of corn tortillas made me deliriously happy. Kaz has every chip imaginable- Kebab, ham, seafood flavors but NO tortilla chips!  I actually made tortilla chips yesterday with fresh salsa which NEVER tasted better in my life!  It was hard deep frying those tortillas considering I have an awful stovetop in my apartment and have tin camping-like equipment for utensils and cookware, but it was well worth the effort.  This small example plus many other countless experiences (larger scale, I promise), makes me sing “God Bless America” and REALLY mean it this 4th of July!

I don’t think I will ever take for granted all the opportunities, choices, and conveniences of home ever again.  I know I will miss my quite life here in Karaganda but I really look forward to coming home soon with Nate.  We should get custody of Nate by 7/10 and get through the rest of the process by 7/24.  It’s just nice to say we’ll be home this month; it makes me feel like we are that much closer to home sweet home.  

And hopefully (hint hint), the fridge will be stocked with fresh salsa and chips too.

Take Care and we'll see you soon!

The Blums

Blum Family Pictures!!!