Random Thoughts

Tomorrow is court day and we will officially ask a Kazak judge for custody of our Chloe. If she approves it, we will begin the long journey home on Wednesday to wait out the mandatory 15 day waiting period that gives Chloe’s biological family one last chance to step forward and stop the adoption. What a fraught situation. It just doesn’t seem that complicated when she’s sitting in my lap playing pattycake and drooling.

I had my first bout of inappropriate blubbering today when it randomly occurred to me that we’ll be saying goodbye to the little peanut in a couple of days. Things do not bode well for my rapidly dwindling supply of tissues. I cheer myself up by reminding myself that Chloe doesn’t seem at all upset yet when we take her back to the baby room at the end of our visits. She gladly reaches out to her caregivers and goes happily back into her playpen. I’m semi-seriously thinking about giving her a good, hard pinch next time because darn it, just once I’d like to see her look a little regretful to see us leave. Ok no, I’m kidding. It would be even harder to say goodbye on Wednesday if I had to carry the picture of her sad little face away with me. I’m a horrible, horrible mom for even thinking that way!

We were both very sad to see Ali and Maribel leave but I started to worry about Zac when he got all plaintive-sigh-y looking at Ali’s leftover bread on the windowsill. Good thing we’re still able to spend some time with other adopting families here like Rob and Ellen from SF, Cindy and Tony from Portland, Oregon and our new cottage-mate, Julie from Tulsa, Oklahoma. (We will report back on their websites once we ask permission. Won’t tell ‘em what weirdos some of you are – lovable weirdos of course, the most luvable wuvable weirdos ever oh yes you are.) Anyway, Julie is a very nice woman who is definitely strong and capable enough to become the kind of single mom who will put my flailing self to shame. She made it through her adoption process in what seems to be record time and even managed to make her INS office process her fingerprints faster for her (no really, the INS). So, after living with Maribel who is this incredibly intelligent, highly organized person who had pretty much anticipated every possible present and future want and need for her two children (don’t worry Ali, I know you’re the heart of the operation;), and now meeting Julie, I’ve come to realize that this process may require an uncommon amount of grit and determination to make it through successfully. Which inevitably makes me wonder, how in the H-E-double-la-la-la did Zac and I manage to slack our way over here? If you think of a good explanation, let me know. I’ll be over here eating pudding and watching another episode of Monk.

Speaking of which, I must now take a moment to sing the praises of Kazak dairy. The milk, yogurt, cream, and puddings here (also juices) are simply fan-fluffing-tastic. I’d consider moving here just for access to these goodies on a daily basis. Either that or pack up a case-full to take home with me (and a baby!) if only they wouldn’t all go bad on the trip over.

A propos of nothing, here’s a picture of the Colonel driving us to the babyhouse in his Audi a week or so back. We’re back in Nursultan’s Passat again and he’s a fine driver but you don’t get this fancy view of the Colonel’s fur hat tracks which is quite a fascinating bonus on an hour-long trek, let me tell you.

First thing I’ma do when I get back home? About four days in the shower with a bottle of clarifying shampoo and my favorite pumice. And then the Zac Attack and I are going to sit in a multiplex with a bucket of popcorn and not come out until we’re fully coated in butter flavoring. I only wish we had a Hummer to drive there there and back.