Day Twentythree

What an amazing 40-something birthday this has been! Carrie awoke at 6:30 to read heart-warming emails from her family and our friends. Bruce surprised her at breakfast with an assortment of gifts from Kostanai, wrapped in Kazakhstan newsprint! He even remembered flowers! We then showered, dressed in our Sunday best and headed to court with Olyssa and a bundle of nerves! But all went beautifully. The Judge approved our petition and scheduled us to return to her chambers on April 5th to finalize this phase of the adoption. Then Bruce can come home, return to work and prepare the house, the cats and "the older brother" for the pending arrival of an infant!

During our visit with Julia today, we were permitted to take her outside, bundled in what appeared to be six layers of clothing (reminiscent of a scene from "The Christmas Story"). Though she was immobilized, it was a welcomed change for all of us! We had brought a birthday cake to the Baby Home and shared it with Dr. Irina, Olyssa and the Mullens (Chris, Jennifer and 6 year old Ryan) as Carrie shares her birthday with Chris. Dr. Irina proceeded to read their horoscopes, faces and palms! She presented Chris and Carrie with beautiful, semi-precious stones and then insisted on taking Carrie to the home of a personal friend and jewelry designer who is renown for his unique yet traditional style of Kazak jewelry. Carrie is having a bracelet made from Dr. Irina's gift and the jeweler promises that she will be the only person in the world to own this piece! He, his wife and their cat were warm and hospitable and it was truly a memorable occasion. From there, Carrie returned to the hotel and we walked to lunch with Nellie and the Mullens at 'The Gold Cafe.' After a delicious meal, Nellie gave Carrie a small printed scene of Kostanai's Russian Orthodox Church, where she had taken us on her initial day as our personal "tour guide." Carrie then trekked alone to the balloon store to buy a small surprise for Chris and met a wonderful Russian woman named Ludmilla while crossing at a busy intersection. With only a few common words shared and a lot of laughter, they locked arms and walked for several blocks through the snow covered streets before embracing as "friends" and each going their own way, alone again. Bruce shared a similar moment with a young Kazak man on the street today. Upon realizing that Bruce was a foreigner, he struggled at great length to find the word, "Welcome," expressing that he was a Kazak man from Kazakhstan and was personally welcoming Bruce to his country. The two exchanged first names, a hearty handshake and, before leaving, an embrace followed with the universal phrase for "Good-bye" which appears to be "Chow". We are so humbled and so grateful for these poetic moments, touching reminders of "the language of the heart"...

Just moments ago, there was a knock on the door and a young girl who checks coats in the hotel lobby had come to give Carrie a birthday gift. She had beautifully scripted "Happy Birthday Carrie! From Victoria" on a post-it and wrapped a delicate shell bracelet and necklace around a small laminated pocket calendar. Does life get more precious than this?! God is GREAT!

We are off now to what promises to be a romantic birthday dinner at our favorite local spot, Dolce Vita. We love and miss each and EVERY one of you and hold you close in our hearts, always! Carrie & Bruce