Day Eight

And so the journey continues... After our morning visit with Julia (who again fell asleep in her Mom's arms after eating a hearty breakfast and playing with her parents) we went to the local electronic store to solve are camera woes. We are getting very good at sign language and will never again poke fun of foreigners who are visiting in the states! We hope to include a picture link to the blog so you devoted blog-readers can see this magical land through our eyes. A new couple from Philadelphia arrived today and we "Americans" took them to a Russian Pub [Taste of Life] for dinner. You wouldn't believe it but we have not had a bad meal yet! All in all, it's been a lazy and thoroughly enjoyable Saturday! We're "back home" in our hotel room to check our "mail" and blog then early to bed as we meet with the pediatrician in the morning to review Julia's medical records. With the welcomed input of some impressively qualified nursing, psychological and medical professionals back home, we think that in addition to being EXTRA-ordinarily cute, Julia is reasonably healthy and developmentally on cue. We are grateful to God and to all of you, our "home team" (thanks Tom and Dee!) who continue to support us in this great adventure of our lives! Love, C & B

Day Seven

Greetings from Kostanai! Todays escapades took us first to the Baby Home where Julia pulled herself up holding onto Carrie's fingers. She was facinated by the birds in the trees outside her window and we're beginning to notice when she's energetic and when she's getting sleepy. We don't know when the babies wake up but they all go down for naps after breakfast around 11:00 AM and then again after lunch around 3:00 PM. There are eight other babies in Julia's group and they are all so well cared for and attended too.

This afternoon, Bruce and I joined Jennifer, Chris and their 6 year old son Ryan and all walked to the indoor waterpark where for the equivalent of four dollars, we swam for almost two hours. There were three distinct pools; a lap pool, a children's pool and one enormous pool replete with water slides, tube tunnels, a whirlpool, a wave pool and a "lazy river" with a current. Despite the embarassment of not understanding a single procedure or instruction, we could laugh at ourselves and have a great time anyway! By the way, everyone, everywhere naked looks about the same! After swimming and playing nearly to exhaustion, we showered, dressed and walked a little farther to the Mango Cafe which was mentioned in our Central Asia tour book (thanks Nancy and Mike!) as having great American pizza. Well, group concensus is that it was "good" American pizza (not to worry, Star!). In addition, we had marvelous salads, acceptable french fries, dreadful fried mushrooms and they forgot our perrogies! At every meal, our waiters forget something which we attribute to our miscommunication, not their insufficiency! Bruce made a trip to the "Gros" (supermarket) where he bought some baked chicken for dinner, canned vegatables, a new kind of unusual candy and some other assundries and the whole day cost us about 30 dollars! Next weeks excursion will be to the bowling alley!

Tomorrow we'll have been here in Kostanai for one full week. A new American family is to arrive at the hotel and we hope to welcome them with a group meal if they're not too exhausted for company. On Sunday before visiting with Julia, we will meet with Olyssa, Dr. Irina and the pediatrician to go over Julia's medical records. Though still surreal, we are easing into a routine and a rhythm. Peace

Day Six

Each day in Kostanai with our daughter is magical! We only wish that Austin was sharing this experience with us! Just before leaving for Kazakhstan, Carrie's Mom sent the following prayer which has become our daily meditation...

"Dear Lord, please give me...
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends.
A work to do which has real value, without which the world would feel the poorer...
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed.
An understanding heart...
A sense of humor.
Time for quiet, silent meditation.
A feeling of the presence of God,
And the patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to know them when they come."

Thanks to each and every one of you for your continued contact and kindness. We are now getting all of your emails and they are absolutely sustaining and endearing!

Day Five

Today we started our new visitation schedule and were at the Delfin Baby Home by 9:00 AM. With Bruce's help, Carrie fed Julia porriage and apple sauce with a spoon. Though not graceful, the task was accomplished! Our new American friends lent us their camera so we now have some preliminary "Julia Photos" that we will attempt to post. You'll see how easy it was for us to fall in love with her! As usual, our time together was too short.

We returned to the hotel (checked for email and blog comments!) and headed out in -10 F temps under clear blue skys to the outdoor mall. It is simply fantastic! Thousands of cloth coverred stalls, not unlike the boardwalk, only packed side by side and overflowing with themed isles of merchandize from cloth to children's clothing to electronics, food and fur pelts! The venders, many of them farmers, are layerred in wool and fur, their faces chisled by exposure to extreme Kazak temperatures. Each face tells a story. Today, the ice and snow made walking difficult but no one was deterred. Soon, we are told, the mud will come. We are continuallly amazed at how stylishly the people of Kostanai are dressed.

After stopping at the "Gros", or supermarket for a few supplies, we came back to the Medeo Hotel to meet up with the two other American families and our Guide, Olyssa, for a celebratory luncheon. This afternoon, Laura and Brett Watrous were granted priliminary adoption rights here in Kostanai and will now return to Virginia to wait for their finalization. They have been here a month and have been very helpful in orienting us to the culture of Kazakhstan. We will miss them. We DID however have one of the best meals of our lives repleat with Kabobs, pickle soup, spicy beef noodles, a cubed tomato with garlic and ham salad and beer #6. Everything is seasoned with dill so the flavor is even more unusual.

Tomorrow we plan to walk to the river to watch the ice fisherman. Though spring we're told is coming, we're still hoping to experience a major snowstorm! Friday we're planning a group excursion to the indoor waterpark! So stay tuned and please keep your comments and emails coming! Let us know on the blog if you are having difficulty reaching us via email at bjqmiller@gmail.com. We send you smiles across the miles and always are love, Carrie and Bruce XOXO

Our Kaz Trip~ Day Four

Today is Tuesday, the eve of the Kazak holiday, Women's Day which is a three day-long celebration. Our day began early with a group morning visit to the Delfin Baby Home to surprise Dr. Irina with a fruit glazed ice cream cake and two beautiful boquets of flowers. She was so grateful and toasted the three American families with a beautiful speach that brought tears to our eyes. She said we were forging a union between our two countries and that she hoped that our children grew up to know that their country did not abandon them as their mothers did. Julie will certainly know that she always has a home here, as well.

Our visit with Julia this afternoon went beautifully also. She is too cute to describe and brought tears to our eyes again when, after playing with her parents, she fell asleep in Carrie's arms as Carrie sang Edlewise from The Sound of Music! She is able to roll from side to side, grab for objects with both hands and follow sounds with her eyes. Oh, and she smiles constantly~ this big, dimpled toothless smile! She is captivating and weighs 6600 grams or about 14 lbs. Her height is 60 cm. We live for our daily dose of Julia! Tomorrow we begin a new schedule, from 9:00 - 11:30 AM and we are curious about her morning temperament. The time flies when we are together! That will open our schedule for afternoon walking tours of the city.

We ate at a Russian Pub and had stroganoff, and mushroom chicken. Rice, potatos and vegatables are ordered on the side. Like everything we have tried, the beer here, Bajithka, is also delicious and is ordered by number from 0-9 depending on your preference for alcohol content. It costs 83 Tenge or about .70 per bottle. Breakfast is included in our hotel arrangement and we have tried different plates every morning, deliverred to our room.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we will visit Julia early and then stroll the outdoor markets which are indescribable and a lot of fun! We will bring home pictures. Please comment on our blog site 'cause we read it every day!
Love to you from across the world~ Carrie and Brusky

We can't believe that it's Monday evening already! Time goes by so quickly and our days have been so full. We have seen our baby, Julia Marian Miller, three times and she has captured our hearts! We have named her Julia because Austin, Bruce and Carrie all agreed that we like the name and Marian after Carrie's maternal grandmother who was and is even after her death a soul mate and spiritual presence. Bruce can make Julia laugh and today she fell asleep in Carrie's arms which is probably one of the few times she has fallen asleep in the warm embrace of an adult. It is always hard to leave her at the end of our visit.

We had a very special tour of the Delfin Baby House given by Dr. Irina and our interpretor and guide, Olyssa. Dr. Irina and her staff are meticulous in their cleanliness and order. The children are wonderfully cared for and looked after. They have a full-time seamstress who "creates" the atmosphere of the children's rooms with beautiful curtains in addition to sewing and repairing linens and clothing. There is a full cleaning service in the facility and they wash 10 tons of laundry daily! They have a complex kitchen and pay close attention to ensuring that the children get well balanced meals and that the food is both healthy and abundant. They have a sauna, a swimming pool, an auditorium for children's productions, a piano in every group room, a massage specialist, a social worker, speech and language specialist, a full-time nursing staff and four pediatricians. They even have a sea salt room so that if a child has breathing problems they go with their whole group for play in the sea salt therapy room. It is remarkable what Dr. Irina has developed and oversees. The President of Kazakhstan's wife has given the Delfin Baby Home the country's highest honors. It is the only one we've seen but we agree that it is remarkable!

On Thursday, Kazakhstan celebrates a three day Women's Day celebration and all women are recognized! Good for them!

Tomorrow after our visit with Julia, we plan to visit the outdoor markets and explore the city.

Well we have made it, what a freaking trip! We arived at Kostanay at 9am this morning after what seemed like days of travel. Most importantly we met our baby girl and she is DARLING! The most beautiful little face we have ever seen! Her birth name is Erna and she is tiny and angelic! She smiled at us and has dimples and sky blue eyes with strawberry blonde hair. Dr. Irina kept saying that she looks like Carrie but Carrie thinks she looks like both of us! We seem to have forgotten the plug for the edigital camera but will resolve that problem tomorrow and hopefully sent a picture,

After flying out of Newark Thursday evening, Carrie slept the entire flight and Bruce stayed up and worried. Nonetheless, we arrived in Frankfurt at 2 AM our time, 8 AM Germany time and spent the entire entire day walking around Frankfurt. We fell in love with the architecture and the little shops, biergartens and both religious and cultural buildings. Everone eats outside under street tents in warm hats and coats. And Starbucks is everywhere! We said a prayer and lit a candle for our baby at an incredible old church called Saint Barts located at the edge of a huge village square. We even shared a frankfurter! At nearly 4 PM we took the subway back to the airport and walked every inch until our flight to Kostanay took off at 11 PM or 5 PM Germany time. Our flight to Kostanay was more stressful but we were also overly tired and anxious to arrive. Olyssa, our interpretor and wonderful guide was there to meet and assist us with entering the country. We were taken to the hotel for a quick change of clothes and then went diredctly to the baby house. Dr. Irina was wonderful in her welcome of us, particularly since our Saturday arrival required both her and Olyssa to work on a weekend. After a brief visit, Olyssa took us to the money exchange and then to a food market where we bought some basic supplies and water to hold us until Monday.

The market is amazing and surprisingly stocked with familiar items as well as MANY unfamiliar things. There is good chocolate everywhere! I will close by saying that today has been just like a dream~ the familiar mixed with the unfamiliar in wierd ways. We lookforward to all your coments.This whole thing is out of control.We will enter more on Sunday.