Home Sweet Home

We arrived home on Friday evening--5 hours later than our scheduled arrival time.   Our first flight was delayed by 2.5 hours so the remaining flights had to be rerouted.  I didn't care as long as they promised me we would be home that day.

Gavin did super on the plane.  He was such a little trooper.  Grant attempted to stay awake the entire time, but halfway through the second flight, he could no longer keep his eyelids open.  He ended up sleeping the remainder of that flight and the entire third flight as well. 

When we touched down in Minneapolis, I was filled with emotions.  I had to fight back tears as the customs officer "approved" Gavin's entry, as the customs officer checked our paperwork and then welcomed us HOME, as we walked into McDonald's for the kids to have a bite to eat, as we walked past a bar and grill and I captured the aroma of steak cooking on a grill.....I hope you get the picture.  I couldn't help myself.  It was so good to be home to things familiar.

We were so happy to see Mark and the girls again as we walked down the corridor at Lambert.  I can't even explain the feelings that were welling up inside me.

We have spent the past few days getting over our jet lag and slowly unpacking and putting things away.  Gavin is doing super.  He has fit right in.  The only problem is that he is deathly afraid of the dog.  We have to keep the dog outside all day and then Gavin is fearful of going outside.  The weather has been beautiful and we are really wanting to get out and play. 

I'm sorry for not having any photos to post. I've been too tired to take any photos.  In fact, I'm not even sure where the camera is....

Our Journey to Gavin is now over.  It has been a long, rough road to travel at times. Thanks for following along, for your words of encouragement, and for all the prayers that were lifted on our behalf.   I feel privileged to have been able to share our journey with all our friends and family.  And now as this journey ends, we begin our next one--a lifelong journey--our Journey WITH Gavin. 

We had our exit interview at the Embassy this afternoon.  They issued Gavin’s visa and we are ok’d to go.  Afterwards we went and paid for Gavin’s plane ticket.  It had been a beautiful morning but by afternoon it had started raining.  So instead of trying to go back to Kok Tobe again, we decided to come back to the apartment.  I started packing and am now worried about my luggage being too heavy.  Those four duffles seemed so big until I started trying to pack them up.

            Gavin didn’t have any real big fits today.  He is understanding a little more of the way we do things and he has accepted it.  But he did have a difficult time sitting still at the Consular’s office at the Embassy.  It has me concerned about the plane ride home.  I hope he is able to sit still and not get too fussy on the plane.  I had some Benadryl to give him on the plane, but the bottle spilled and now there isn’t even one dose left.  So we are roughing it…but I hope it isn’t too rough.

            This will be my last post before we land on American soil.  I am afraid that I will be too busy tomorrow night to write anything up.  Please pray that our trip home will be uneventful and that Gavin will behave. 

            We’ll see you on the other side of the world….

Another Kazakhstani holiday...

Today was another holiday for Kazakhstan.  It is the Day of Peace for the Nations (or something like that anyway); it was first celebrated after the fall of the Soviet Union and it is a day for recognizing the nations who are represented in Kazakhstan.  They had a big celebration in Astana Square; we walked down and watched what was going on.  They had the huge stage set up and had dancers from the different nations performing.  There were people in their traditional ethnic dress from many different countries as well. It was very interesting to watch and entertaining as well. 

As we were got back to the apartment building, we had Gavin get out of the stroller to walk up the stairs.  He and I were counting the stairs as we walked up.  I’d say the number and he’d repeat it:“One,” “One,” “Two,” “Two,” etc.  As we got to the top of the steps, I said, “Ten.”  He repeated, “Ten.” Then the last step, “Eleven.”  He looked up at me with those dark brown eyes and said, “Elibabet.” We had never counted to eleven before, so he thought I had said Elisabeth’s name.  

This morning Grant and Gavin were playing in the bedroom.  Gavin came running into the living room to where I was.  But as he turned the corner, he slid on the ceramic tile floor and slid into the edge of the door.  He cut his cheek and bruised his cheek.   It had to have hurt him very badly; and instinctively, he cried.  But he only cried for about 20 seconds when his “survival” kicked in and he gained his composure.  It is so sad for me to see how he has learned not to feel pain because he was not comforted or consoled.  He did let me hold him for a few seconds; but then he was up and moving. 

Later this afternoon we decided to go to Kok Tobe one last time with some of the other families.  But when we got to the cable cars, it was packed.  We decided to go ahead and get in line.  Here is where things got fun….people we pushing and shoving and cutting in line (well, there really was no line, it was just a big blob—so they were “cutting in blob,” I suppose).  It was miserable as the “line” was on the steps and we had to take Gavin out of the stroller.  He did not want to stand still but we made it up to the top of the steps after 40 minutes or so.  Then we had to go through a doorway into another waiting area.  You would have thought we were trying to evacuate a burning building the way everyone was trying to push through this door.  It was crazy.  (And I was trying to hold Gavin to keep from losing him.)  As we squeezed through the door, it got even crazier as the space got smaller—think sardines in a can.  We endured that for a few minutes and I couldn’t take it any longer.  We decided to leave and go have a pizza and shashlik at the Guinness instead.  This is definitely one aspect of Kazakhstan that I won’t miss!

I am typing this at 10:00 at night and the fireworks just started at Astana Square.  I love standing at the kitchen window watching the display of fireworks.  Tonight’s display is even larger than the one on Nauryz in March.  They are huge and beautiful and the noise is echoing off the buildings.  It is amazing!

The kids enjoy an ice cream while the adults watched the perfomance at Astana Square.

Gavin has discovered dandelions!

Only four more zavtras!

            We had Gavin’s appointment at the SOS Clinic this morning.  The nurse was in a super hurry and had him weighed and measured before I could get one shoe off.  But she was very nice.  The doctor was a young, kind doctor; Gavin was afraid so she talked to him kindly and let him play with her pen light.  He still didn’t like being examined and screamed when he had to lay down on the examining table.   After that, he had to have blood drawn for an HIV test (this is required by all people coming into the US).  This would have been bad enough, but the nurse couldn’t find his vein.  She squeezed, poked, and marked, but she kept losing it.  So she tried the other arm—same thing—no vein.  Then she pushed around on the back of his hand hoping to get a vein there—but nothing.  Of course, he was crying the whole time and trying to get his arm free; and I was trying to restrain him.  She finally decided to take the blood from his finger.  After another five minutes of squeezing, she finally had enough blood for the test.  Everything checked out okay and we headed to the KLM office.

            We booked Gavin’s ticket for Friday and we go back to pay for it on Wednesday after our exit interview at the US Embassy.  We are really leaving!!!!!!  It is looking like more of a reality each day. 

            Grant has been trying to give the countdown to Gavin on the number of days we have left.  But the only Russian word he could think of is the Russian word for tomorrow, “zavtra.”  So when there were 7 days left, Grant would say “zavtra” 7 times holding up a finger each time; and then he’d say, “America!” (Seven tomorrows then America!) When there were six days, he’d say 6 zavtras, etc.  Earlier I walked into the room and Gavin was holding up his fingers saying, “Zavtra, zavtra, zavtra, zavtra…”  He said it several times and then he exclaimed, “Amoyica!” 

            Tonight we had dinner at an Uzbekistan restaurant with Mike and Cathy, Angela, and Clint and Lynette.  The food was good and the company was awesome! Afterwards, we went back to Mike and Cathy’s for tea.  We stayed late as this was our last time seeing them all in Almaty; they are all flying out to various places in the next day or two.  Cathy and Lynette really kicked into Grandma-mode with Gavin.  They were so funny.  I think Lynette snuck him at least three suckers;  she would just giggle about it   Cathy promised me that if we were staying in Almaty that she was afraid that Gavin would be terribly spoiled because she wouldn’t be able to help herself.  (I’m afraid his Grandmas at home are already going to be doing a lot of that anyway.)  Anyway, Angela was nearly as bad as Cathy and Lynette.  Gavin has become very fond of “Mitter Mike,” as he calls him.  It was very cute to watch Gavin follow him around like the Pied Piper calling out “Mitter Mike.”

Gavin and Grant "doing the dishes" together.....enough said.

At the Uzbek restaurant

Circus

                       This morning we made one last visit to the Green Market.  We stocked up on raisins and nuts—and bought a few other things as well.  Dianne and Vika met us there.  We were supposed to meet the other adopting families at the coffee shop, but Grant started having a melt-down and I couldn’t let him go after that.  Grant and I talked about it and he was fine.  It was probably just as well because we were then able to have a quick lunch and then Gavin and I took a nap.  (Grant is really ready to come home although he is doing GREAT with Gavin.)

            After naptime, we took Gavin to the circus.  It was very HOT and they had changed the acts from last month when we went with Mark and the girls.   But Gavin really enjoyed the horses, the dogs, and the lions and tigers. 

            We came home after the circus, had dinner and got ready for bed.  We have to be ready early in the morning for Gavin’s doctor appointment at the SOS clinic.  It is just a simple physical/ blood tests that are necessary before the American Embassy will allow him to come to the US.

            Grant and I keep reminding ourselves that we are really going home THIS WEEK!  I bet we make comments about it 5-6 times a day. 

            Angela asked me the other day if there was anything from home that I had really missed and really wanted to see/do.  Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything.  I mean, I am sure I will really enjoy our first trip to Culver’s and having a “Flavor of the Day.”  But I haven’t really missed it since we’ve been here.  And sure, having high-speed internet again will really be nice.  And clear, hot, non-odorous water will be like a luxury.  But, the only thing I can think of that I really miss is the PEOPLE—our family, our friends.  I miss Mark and the Girls like crazy.  I can’t wait to go to church—to hear Pastor Paul share and to see our church family!  I am looking forward to scheduling my first scrapbooking workshop and seeing “the gals” again.  I want to see the neighbor kids running across our backyard and calling to have Elaine or Grant come home.  I miss going to the YMCA on Tuesdays and chatting with my homeschooling friends.  I am looking forward to Thursdays and seeing our friends from our small group Bible study.   Yep, that is what I can’t wait for!!!!!

Gavin thought he was ready to go outside....He wore these two shirts aroung the apartment this morning and wanted to two ponytails in his hair.  Everything is so new to him that he wants to try it all.  Anything I do, he wants to do.

First time at the circus; first time eating cotton candy