Photo of a snow capped tree in Almaty on a clear day in December 2009.
It has been almost 2 weeks since we have been home. Time has been spent with family and friends and we have gotten back into the swing of our lives. It took me a very long time to get over the jetlag and I would say it took me about 12 days to feel really back to myself. Is it true that it takes one day for every one hour time difference? That might be right. I am finally staying up later than 8pm and not getting up at 4 am.
The first few days at home had me very busy with my family which left me no extended time to think about Batyrhan during the day. So what happened was I would become awake in the middle of the night in fits and starts with my mind racing a million miles an hour. Wondering about him — about him there and then at home, wondering about me becoming a more organized and efficient mother and reminding myself that good enough in those areas is just fine. I would get up at 4 am and rush to my bookshelves to pour over my adoption books because I could not sleep and I was concerned about attachment. It’s not like I want to worry about these things and it’s not like I don’t know I overanalyze. This is totally in my nature, nothing is new here. So in order to allay my anxiety, I had to squelch it by reading books at 4 am and then taking naps later in the day. Such was life for the first few days home. I am considerably better now thankfully!
I received a photo on January 6th from our translator Bolat who is still at BH#3 helping with another family. He wrote to me that he was outside the baby house when he saw Batyrhan taking his evening walk with his group. He called out to him in Kazakh “Hi Batyr!” and Batyrhan ran away from his group and towards him! Even the caregivers were surprised. Each day when we were there Bolat would go to get Batyrhan and bring him to us for play time. Perhaps our little boy ran to him hoping for what was next. Bolat asked the caregivers about the 8×10 photos we left which were supposed to be taped near his bed. I was disappointed to find out that these women had no idea where the photos were which likely means that in almost 2 weeks, Batyrhan has not been shown our photos as we had hoped. Bolat said he would try to find out what happened.
I am very excited (and perhaps crazy) but we signed up for Kazapalooza this June, a weekend convention in which we will meet other Kaz families from all over the US and Canada. I have been following along with the goings-on of Kazapalooza for the past two years looking forward to the day we’d be there as well. Though it will be only about 4 months that we are home before we head off to this weekend in Milwaukee, I am hopeful that the event will not be any more overstimulating for Batyrhan than all of us can handle for one brief weekend. I know that Emma and Eden are very excited to go and to show their little brother the little water park that is part of the hotel. It’s amazing to think that Emma will celebrate her 8th birthday the weekend of this event, with a new little brother and new little Kaz cutie friends. I feel so blessed to have met wonderful friends and supporters through the blog world and it will be wonderful to get to meet in person all these people who I already consider dear friends over the course of the Kazapaloozas in the coming years.
So life goes on as usual here, with my evenings spent de-cluttering, sorting and stacking in preparation for an active little boy in our lives. Our house seems too small for us now but I think it’s just a sign that I need to get rid of lots of stuff. Emma and Eden have been sharing the same room (unofficially) for almost a year now. They enjoy sleeping in the same full size bed and seem to sleep well when they are near each other. They have been wishing for bunk beds too. I would have never suggested to take Eden’s room away from her (the tiny pink room with a bed she no longer uses) but it was she who said “Little Brother can sleep in my room and we can paint it blue!” So this is the plan for now and we slowly make arrangements for this to happen. After my pride at finally doing my first hammer and nail project into Eden’s wall, it will be time to take it down and make room for a little boy.
I was never one to walk around with a brag book when Emma and Eden were small. Yet these days I find myself taking out of my bag a small stack of photos of our adorable little boy and showing them to anyone who will look. Emma and Eden have also taken their turns taking the stack to school. More than one person has said he actually resembles me in some ways. I tend to agree we both have the same happy cheeks.
Stephanie: It will be wonderful meeting you all at Kazapalooza! Have fun with all your nesting…he will be home before you know it!
Quaintance
Stephanie: It will be wonderful meeting you all at Kazapalooza! Have fun with all your nesting…he will be home before you know it!
Quaintance
Great to see an update. I'm sure you will have a great time at Kazapalooza, I wish we could go…maybe next year. 4 months is a good amount of time to work on attachment. We took our first trip after 4 months and it went well.
Great to see an update. I'm sure you will have a great time at Kazapalooza, I wish we could go…maybe next year. 4 months is a good amount of time to work on attachment. We took our first trip after 4 months and it went well.
I've been following your blog since you arrived in Kaz. We just got home in Oct with a very active little 18 month old boy. Cooper is looking forward to meeting B at Kazapalooza. And just think, you'll be picking him up and bringing him home before you know it!
Cheers,
Tanya
Hey Steph,
So great to see an update! What a bummer they did not have your picture up but that is to be expected… he will be yours forever soon!
I can not believe we are all going to Kazapalooza together, I am so excited!
Love you.
me
Hey Steph,
So great to see an update! What a bummer they did not have your picture up but that is to be expected… he will be yours forever soon!
I can not believe we are all going to Kazapalooza together, I am so excited!
Love you.
me
Love all your photos from today that really bring your lives on 2 sides of the ocean together!
A quick question, do you have a cousin named Penne in Atlanta?
Shanna
mom to Tamar and Libby
Love all your photos from today that really bring your lives on 2 sides of the ocean together!
A quick question, do you have a cousin named Penne in Atlanta?
Shanna
mom to Tamar and Libby
Love all your photos from today that really bring your lives on 2 sides of the ocean together!
A quick question, do you have a cousin named Penne in Atlanta?
Shanna
mom to Tamar and Libby
How awesome to have an update from your translator! Sadly, the photos & stuffed animal we left w/ our son had disappeared, too 🙁 I pray your court date will be soon so that you can return!
How awesome to have an update from your translator! Sadly, the photos & stuffed animal we left w/ our son had disappeared, too 🙁 I pray your court date will be soon so that you can return!
Yes, Shanna we have a cousin Penney in Atlanta! Please share the degrees of separation!
Steph
Yes, Shanna we have a cousin Penney in Atlanta! Please share the degrees of separation!
Steph
There is a teacher at our school who was raised in Russia. I taught her daughter, her son and my daughter have been together in class for years etc. Anna's sister in law is Kaz so we often share connections because of this. Monday afternoon, Anna comes running up to me telling me there is a person working in our middle school who has has cousin adopting from Kaz right now. She told Penney she needed to find me in the school and talk. I begin asking Anna questions and more details I get, the more it sounded like you 🙂 It is a small, small world!
Shanna
p.s. 3 other present and former teachers from our school have nieces and nephews who were adopted from Kaz. All in a small Jewish school of 600 kids!
There is a teacher at our school who was raised in Russia. I taught her daughter, her son and my daughter have been together in class for years etc. Anna's sister in law is Kaz so we often share connections because of this. Monday afternoon, Anna comes running up to me telling me there is a person working in our middle school who has has cousin adopting from Kaz right now. She told Penney she needed to find me in the school and talk. I begin asking Anna questions and more details I get, the more it sounded like you 🙂 It is a small, small world!
Shanna
p.s. 3 other present and former teachers from our school have nieces and nephews who were adopted from Kaz. All in a small Jewish school of 600 kids!