With less than a week left on our first trip to Kazakhstan, our wonderful interpretor Makhabbat was able to sneak mom and Calvin another visit with Garrett. It was so wonderful to have both of my boys in the same room, though Calvin was so wired after an hour sitting in the car that he was more like a blur as he ran back and forth across the activity room playing with one toy and then another. Thank heavens for that activity room!
We were originally placed in the music room with the french couple, but it became clear after only a few moments that my 3-year-old tornado of activty was more than that room could handle. 
He toppled stacks of toys, shrieking happily that he was a bowling boy, and pretended to be a tiger in the "jungle" of prize plants he caretakers have so neatly displayed in the corner.
When he almost ran over the french man's hand with a toy car, we called Makhabbat back and begged her to find us a room where Calvin could play without upsetting anyone. Those of you who know Makhabbat will remember that she is quite a joker. Whether it is her own particularily dry sense of humor or simply a Kazakhstani thing, I don't know, but you can never tell when Makhabbat is playing a joke on you. She has an absolute poker face and seems to relish watching you squirm until she lets you in on her joke. Today was no exception. Pretending not to understand our request, Makhabbat told Mom and Calvin to come with her. She said that she knew a shop in downtown Schuchinsk where Mom could take Calvin grocery shopping. She completely ignored our protests and led a heartbroken Nana out of the room, indicating that she would return with them when our time was up. About 10 minues later, Makhabbat came back for us and told us that the activity room was now free for me, Tim, and Garrett to play in. Still hoping to secure mom's early release from her forced shopping trip, I told Makhabbat how much mom had been looking forward to seeing Garrett and that I hoped that they wouldn't be gone too long. Before I could finish pleading, however, Mak opened the door to the activity room to reveal Calvin frolicking in the ball pit and mom waiting excitedly on the couch. No shopping in downtown Schuchinsk after all. Makhabbat fooled me again!
He toppled stacks of toys, shrieking happily that he was a bowling boy, and pretended to be a tiger in the "jungle" of prize plants he caretakers have so neatly displayed in the corner. When he almost ran over the french man's hand with a toy car, we called Makhabbat back and begged her to find us a room where Calvin could play without upsetting anyone. Those of you who know Makhabbat will remember that she is quite a joker. Whether it is her own particularily dry sense of humor or simply a Kazakhstani thing, I don't know, but you can never tell when Makhabbat is playing a joke on you. She has an absolute poker face and seems to relish watching you squirm until she lets you in on her joke. Today was no exception. Pretending not to understand our request, Makhabbat told Mom and Calvin to come with her. She said that she knew a shop in downtown Schuchinsk where Mom could take Calvin grocery shopping. She completely ignored our protests and led a heartbroken Nana out of the room, indicating that she would return with them when our time was up. About 10 minues later, Makhabbat came back for us and told us that the activity room was now free for me, Tim, and Garrett to play in. Still hoping to secure mom's early release from her forced shopping trip, I told Makhabbat how much mom had been looking forward to seeing Garrett and that I hoped that they wouldn't be gone too long. Before I could finish pleading, however, Mak opened the door to the activity room to reveal Calvin frolicking in the ball pit and mom waiting excitedly on the couch. No shopping in downtown Schuchinsk after all. Makhabbat fooled me again!Instead of leading mom and Cal out to a muddy hour of walking in Schuchinsk, St. Makhabbat had brought them down to the activity room to join the big kids for the last 10 minutes of their activity time. Calvin was in heaven with all the kiddos and, as if to test us, he and Sasha picked each other out from the crowd and started playing together. That's Cal and Sasha together on the strange blue and orange "kid's tredmill."
Then, while Calvin frolicked like a little colt around the playroom, Sasha turned those deep brown eyes on my mom and handed her a ball with a small hopeful smile. 
Mom and Sasha played ball for the last few minutes of the group's play session.
Then, while Calvin frolicked like a little colt around the playroom, Sasha turned those deep brown eyes on my mom and handed her a ball with a small hopeful smile. Mom and Sasha played ball for the last few minutes of the group's play session. That is one sweet little guy! All the little ones here are sweet, mind you, but Sasha is different because you can tell that he really wants a family. Most of the other kids seem pretty content at the babyhouse. But Sasha seeks you out when you come into a room. He watches you, smiles, and tries to engage you. He understands. It's that little flicker of hope in him that says "maybe you're here for me!" that really gets to me. So I'm counting on one of you to write me back and let me know that you are frantically assembling your dossier and will come get him! Otherwise I might just lose my mind at the thought of little Sasha spending his childhood in increasingly depressing orphanages! How can you say 'no' to a sweet little orphan, who quite literally, doesn't have a single person to love him?!!
Sorry. I'll pull myself together...back to my little family.So we were all together for one brillant hour, Calvin happily swinging from the gymnastics equipment then taking a running leap into the ball pit. For the first half hour he was so eager to play that he hardly seemed to notice that any of the rest of us were there, even that new baby brother he has been hearing so much about. 
Garrett, who is still recovering from a little cold which the caregivers blame on his first excursion into the dangerous and frigid outdoors, snuggled with Nana while Tim and I chased after Calvin. 
While we were all playing together, Makhabbat showed back up and motioned that Tim should come with her. Like all of Makhabbat's summons, they are to be obey instantly and without question. Mom and I watched mutely as he left. He returned several minutes later with news from the kitchen. With the donation money we gave to the babyhouse, the director bought two new food preparation tables and a new water heater for the kitchen. It was a sheer coincidence that the babyhouse needed new kitchen equipment and that the donation for that purchase came from a chef, but the combination of the two factors led the staff to break their taboo on outsiders in the kitchen. Tim was invited in. Here is what he saw...
These two stoves cook breakfast lunch and dinner for the 30-50 children at this facility as well as the staff. We are constantly seeing caretakers hurrying from the kitchen with a stack of 3 or 4 lidded tin pots with a loaf of bread balanced on top, but we had never seen the kitchen, not even in pictures. I, of course, had witnessed the (excuse me for saying so) horrid sour milk porriage and compote that Garrett eats every day. That very day, in fact, I got to feed him the first time. Garrett, who is still recovering from a little cold which the caregivers blame on his first excursion into the dangerous and frigid outdoors, snuggled with Nana while Tim and I chased after Calvin. While we were all playing together, Makhabbat showed back up and motioned that Tim should come with her. Like all of Makhabbat's summons, they are to be obey instantly and without question. Mom and I watched mutely as he left. He returned several minutes later with news from the kitchen. With the donation money we gave to the babyhouse, the director bought two new food preparation tables and a new water heater for the kitchen. It was a sheer coincidence that the babyhouse needed new kitchen equipment and that the donation for that purchase came from a chef, but the combination of the two factors led the staff to break their taboo on outsiders in the kitchen. Tim was invited in. Here is what he saw...
Anyway, back in the activity room...
When Calvin calmed down a little, he realized that there was a baby in the room and, momentarily at least, broke from his intense activity to hand Garrett several balls from the ball pit. 
Calvin then informed me, in the manner of a judge issuing a verdict, that Garrett's favorite color is green, just like Cal's. He nodded his approval and was off again racing full speed towards the slide, but in that moment I saw the fraternal bonds between my two little sons forged. I could have staying in the activity room all day. Calvin was happy playing with all the new toys. Garrett was happy watching Calvin. Tim, Nana, and I were happy just having all of us together. It was our very own moment of utopia here in the former USSR. 
Eventually, however, it had to end and Makhabbat was back all too soon announcing "Posh lee, Ruslan. Spat!" (Let's go, Ruslan. To sleep!). Calvin didn't see the point in kissing his baby brother, but gave in at the insistence of all of the adults. 
Then we were off across the vast steppe with only the promise of hot chai and a nap for Calvin awaiting us at the cottage. By the way, this is the way that tired kiddos ride here in Kazakhstan. Calvin loves it and it will definately take some doing to get him to sit in the car seat again!
It was a great day. I can't wait to have my boys home together!
When Calvin calmed down a little, he realized that there was a baby in the room and, momentarily at least, broke from his intense activity to hand Garrett several balls from the ball pit. Calvin then informed me, in the manner of a judge issuing a verdict, that Garrett's favorite color is green, just like Cal's. He nodded his approval and was off again racing full speed towards the slide, but in that moment I saw the fraternal bonds between my two little sons forged. I could have staying in the activity room all day. Calvin was happy playing with all the new toys. Garrett was happy watching Calvin. Tim, Nana, and I were happy just having all of us together. It was our very own moment of utopia here in the former USSR. Eventually, however, it had to end and Makhabbat was back all too soon announcing "Posh lee, Ruslan. Spat!" (Let's go, Ruslan. To sleep!). Calvin didn't see the point in kissing his baby brother, but gave in at the insistence of all of the adults. Then we were off across the vast steppe with only the promise of hot chai and a nap for Calvin awaiting us at the cottage. By the way, this is the way that tired kiddos ride here in Kazakhstan. Calvin loves it and it will definately take some doing to get him to sit in the car seat again!It was a great day. I can't wait to have my boys home together!Love you all!
Paka!
Becca
Becca
It was darling to see him so excited. That little look on his face, alone, made my birthday compete. I'm one lucky lady. Calvin also chose a beautiful bouquet and cake!
Then Makhabbat showed up with this awesome Kazakhstani beach towel.
Next, Tim and I were off to the babyhouse to see Garrett. The caretakers sent us to the activity room with a walker and Garrett happily propelled himself after the bumpy green ball. 
Then we played some very exciting games of peek-a-boo until Makhabbat came in and swooped Garrett up, promising enigmatically to return in 5 minutes. 
When she returned, she had Garrett dressed in his pillowly blue snowsuit with a small "happy birthday" card pinned to the front. I thanked her for my "present" and we took my highly padded baby into the great outdoors. Garrett is miserable in that suit, but he submitted to his pillowly confinement with only a little whimper of protest. 
Calvin spent the day with his buddy Ali.
In the early evening it was time for us all to head down to the "School for the Talented Children" for a performance in our honor! We met with the director of the school who ushered us into a large auditorium in which a single row of folding chairs had been lined up. The other blond in the picture is an adoptive mom named Thelma from NY who just arrived in the city to adopt a 6-year-old. Makhabbat is also her interpretor, so she came along as well. 
For the next hour, we were treated to performances from children ages 3-17.
After the concert, the director invited us back to her office, where her assistants had spread a large table of food for us, similar to what we were served at nauryz. For a moment, I was terrified that I would again have to face a cup of mare's milk tea, but fortunately the birthday gods smiled down on us and we were each offered a cup of steaming chai instead. Talk about hospitality! 
We are constantly impressed by the endless generousity of our Kazakh hosts, but all the same, after an hour-long tea, Calvin's patience was completely spent and we were happy to be excused.
Calvin LOVED the bowling alley... or "Bowling Finale" as he calls it. He was so pleased when his ball made it "all the way to the end" of the alley and would jump up and down in excitement. 
He told us today that "we should come back to Kazakhstan so that we can go bowling again." Pretty cute. Makhabbat and her daughter, Arajan, were supposed to meet us at the alley, but at the last second had to duck out. We were pretty tired, so after one round, we went back home for a quick dinner, some presents and cake. 
We didn't get Calvin to bed until 10:30! He was sooo pleased.
Tim accurately quoted Randy of the Christmas Story saying "I can't put my arms down!"
and waved to a friend in the infirmary...
and then she broke out a package of chalk and the kiddos doodled on the pavement and walls of the babyhouse. 
I've said it before, but I have to say it again. There is so much fear surrounding the adoption of toddlers, but seeing what I've seen, I couldn't be more comfortable these little guys. They are loveable and charming and so ready for a home. Here's my favorite little cutie, Sasha, again. I just can't resist taking pictures of him. He's such a little sweetie. Today I saw him hand a piece of chalk to the french woman that is adopting here. He said "Here you go, Mama." She said, "I'm not your mama, I'm Karina's Mama." I couldn't take it. It just broke my heart. 
When we got back inside and striped Garrett down, he perked back up and wanted to play.
When our time was up, we got a lesson from Garrett's favorite caregiver in "swaddling 101." Let's just say that I'm not a quick study. But, while I was swaddling, Tim got some great pictures of the sleeping area (Garrett has crib #2, Tim's lucky number) and even one of a little bug who was in the highchair.
Tim and I went for a walk around town later and ended up being tailed by several twelve year old boys, Anton and Vlad. After they followed us up and down alleys and side streets giggling. When we finally realized that they were going to make an afternoon of "following the Americans," we stopped and called them over for a picture. They walked the next five miles with us, spouting the few English phrases they knew. "California," I'd say. "California?" Anton repeated. "Disneyland?" I'd say. "Ah, Disneyland!" They'd say. We learned that they liked "basketball" and "Musica 'Fifty Cent'." They were especially impressed with Tim's 'machina' the "Americanski Moostang!"
