A Confession

If we left for Kazakhstan tomorrow, baby "Saskia" would have to sleep in a drawer when we got back and she would have exactly 2 outfits to choose from. Although, truth be told, Nicole (my generous sister-in-law) has offered my niece's hefty wardrobe. I think we would be covered on the clothes front. I could actually clothe half the baby girls in our town with Georgia's wardrobe.

I admire people like Pat and Eileen, who are MAKING furniture from scratch for their child. Their nesting makes my head spin. And there are so many others who have created these amazing sanctuaries for their children-to-be: animals, clouds, quilts that look like the Kazakhstan flag, vintage baseball prints. I am truly impressed by all of this . . . even a little envious.

And, here we sit. Well, we don't actually sit a whole lot. Actually I did sit tonight to watch back-to-back cooking shows - "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" and "Top Chef"! But, still I'm not sure what we are waiting for.

Two things come into play here:

1. I am not sure I am yet convinced that this will happen.


2. I am a bit of a procrastinator. I seem to be more efficient when I have a very limited amount of time to do something. If I don't have a limited amount of time, I dawdle endlessly.

I feel like such a PAP slacker. Has anyone else put off their decorating and gathering or are we the only ones?

Dr. Seuss on Waiting

. . . from Oh, the Places You'll Go.

Contact

Quick Update
Scott has made contact with the doctor! Good news! He said he would fax the license and send a hard copy to us. He, however, has not faxed the license to our agency yet. I am somewhat relieved that Scott actually spoke with him. This doctor is awesome, but he is a bit of a maverick and somewhat scattered, particularly when it comes to administrative stuff.

Our dossier is at the consulate in New York. I thought that was the only place it went in the U.S., but I read something about a back-up/remodeling in the embassy in Washington D.C. Does the dossier go to New York AND Washington D.C.? I guess none of this matters right now. We just need to get that license there and hope that is it.

Words of Wisdom
Another blogger/AP who is waiting for a referral had a great suggestion - try to be a "be a leaf in the stream" and see where that takes you (thanks, Angela). I find myself feeling like a ROCK in the rapids instead. Leaf in the stream . . . my new mantra.

Edited on 2/15/2008 to add: The license has been faxed and received thanks to the diligence of my dear husband! Small hurdle cleared - YEA! Hopefully, we are back in soon .

Your Time Is Up!

Kicked Out
We received an email from our coordinator today telling us that our dossier has been kicked out of the Consulate because one of the medical licenses is expired (1/31/2008). We won't get back in until it is replaced.

The Endless Cycle
If I was able to tell you this in person, you would detect a hint of fear underneath the smile plastered on my face - maybe you would see it in my eyes or hear a slight hitch in my voice.

"Kicked out"!

Who wants to be kicked out of the first place the dossier goes? Who wants to be kicked out of anywhere? Then, I start thinking about the documents expiring. Should I get some of them redone so that I can be ready to go when the rest start expiring? Isn't the whole dossier going to expire before we travel?

I have been pretty calm since we submitted our paperwork . . . now I am just the tiniest bit panicked.

Edited on 2/12/2008 to add: We don't exactly know where the doctor is, however. He is no longer with the practice he was with in the fall. All we have is a cell phone number. I guess the worst that can happen here is that Scott does the medicals all over again.

SURPRISE!

The last few days of 39
Well, they did it. How? I don't know. I must have been distracted by celebrating Luca's progress at school with a trip to the planetarium or maybe it was my thrice daily adoption blog check-in . . . my family and friends managed to put together a surprise party to celebrate one of the final evenings of my 30s. Hard to believe, I know.

As I was whisked into the banquet room of a local Chinese restaurant, my life flashed before my eyes. Then, I walked into a dark room, greeted by the obligatory "SURPRISE", and saw all of the brightly lit faces of people who have made my life so rich and meaningful. And, I cried. And, for once, I had no words. I still don't other than it was just so touching. Scott somehow pulled it all together. My parents came down to help and put together a collage of photos. Friends decorated . . . and decorated and put together another collage of photos. My mother-in-law arranged for the custom "Martha Stewart" themed cake. It was all just so nice, thoughtful, fabulous . . .

FOUR UH OH?
A few days ago I was mourning the changing of the decades. Our culture doesn't exactly celebrate aging. I struggled to find meaning in the tiny wrinkles and gray hairs that have appeared. But, the meaning was revelaed to me last night. The people in my life have provided meaning (and love and support). That's really what it comes down to. So, I am happy to be entering my 40s with so many wonderful people in my life (here, there and in cyberspace!). And, I also know that this year will bring a long awaited daughter (or son) into our lives (we should be at the Embassy by now). For all of this, I am truly grateful.

And, have you heard that 40 is the new 30?

He shoots and earns (mostly) FOURS!

PreK Angst

Last year we eagerly sent our 3 year-old Luca off to PreK at public school. He's smart! He always has a smile on his face! He is there for only 3 hours a day. "What could go wrong?" we thought.

Well, lots.

The first few weeks were pretty uneventful. But, then the dreaded treasure chest was introduced. It was all over after that. When I am 90, I will have nightmares about the treasure chest - a torture device in my book. Children earned stars for "good behavior" (and lost them for "poor choices"). When they earned a certain number, they went to the treasure chest to choose the plastic bauble of their choice. Luca made a visit to the coveted "box-o-plastic-crap" once the whole entire year. When we picked our little guy up from school, we were almost always met by a litany of crimes he committed during the day - throwing books, misreading other children's non-verbal cues . . . I think I have blocked the rest out. He hemorrhaged stars on a daily basis. Initially, we backed the teacher. We withheld special privileges at home when he lost stars. Nothing seemed to work and the behavior only escalated. Our boy is a creature of habit. Once he started acting out to get attention, he couldn't stop.

THE conference

At our mid-year parent-teacher conference, his teacher suggested he be tested. After the initial evaluation she suggested he may have Asperger's Syndrome. This was despite the fact she was not qualified to make such an evaluation. We soon found ourselves in a room with 10+ specialists (psychologists, speech therapists, special education teachers, teachers)who evaluated our son. What did they find?

Ooops! The teacher was wrong. He is, in fact, GIFTED!

FOURS

We went to our mid-year parent teacher conference last night. Luca is in a new classroom with a new teacher who greets him every morning . . . who treats him with respect and patience . . . who doesn't have a treasure chest in her room. He is assessed on a number of skills - a whole 8 1/2" x 14" sheet full. And, he has earned almost all 4s (4 being the highest number possible). He still has problems interacting with his peers because he is used to speaking with adults, but otherwise he is thriving. So, great job, buddy!

To celebrate, I am taking him to a planetarium for a star show on Friday. Stars for the star.

Party of 20 +

We are passing the time by mixing up:

• ~20 big friends and 7 little friends (ages 0 - 6)
• a 4 year-old host who hand-delivered a piece of pita with yogurt-feta dip to everyone
• 3 vats of curry (aloo matar, muttar paneer, moghlai chickpeas)
• some rice
• a carrot salad (thanks, Carma!)
• a nice yogurt relish
• a little wine and a little beer
• a cake for someone who turned the "big four 0" (not me - I have another week)
• a few dozen molasses sandwich cookies
• some jazz
• confessions about watching reality TV (I've only watched The Real Housewives of Orange County once, I swear).

It all added up to a great time had by the hosts. We can't wait to add Saskia or Sasha to the mix!

Where in the world is "Saskia"

The wheel of fate is spinning - round and round it goes . . . where it stops, nobody knows. Saskia may have been born today or yesterday or tomorrow. Where is she? Currently, our agency works in:

• Akol
• Almaty
• Astana
• Essik
• Koksheteau
• Petropavlovsk
• Karaganda
• Stepnogorsk
• Tshchuchinsk
• Taldy Korgan
• Taraz
• Uralsk

So, at least we have her location (or location-to-be) narrowed down a bit. Where did you (or will you) go to meet your little one? If you have already been there, what is it like?

P.S. I want to draw your attention to the "Packing Checklist" link under "Resources" on the right. This "mother of all packing lists" was provided by and approved for posting by Jennifer. Thanks! Now I can shop . . . and shop . . . and . . . . . . shop.