11/15/04-Farewell, Karaganda...

Well, today is our last full day in Karaganda. We are scheduled to leave at 9:30 AM on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we go to the SOS Clinic for the kids’ physicals. Then we will submit all paperwork and make our appointment for the U.S. Embassy for Thursday. We have to get all that done by 4 PM or we will have to wait an extra day. On Thursday, we go for the appointment and complete everything. Assuming everything will be completed on that day, we will be able to leave. We are scheduled to leave Saturday at 4 AM. If we get done early, we will try to leave on Friday morning, if we can change our flights.

As mentioned previously, they are shutting off our Internet Access tonight, so The Adoption Show will be going on hiatus for a week. We will resume next Sunday or Monday and give you the details of our trip home.

Obviously, we are excited about moving on, with a little nervousness over the trip and making sure everything gets done in Almaty. This has been an incredible journey the past two months. For me, the time in Karaganda has not been too horrible, the hardest part being the separation from friends and family, the worst being the last month without Mary Jo. I prepared myself mentally for many of the difficult challenges of this trip – traveling to a foreign land, living outside my comfort zone, suddenly becoming a father to two children – but I didn’t realize how hard the separation from Mary Jo would be. My greatest excitement is just getting back with her and settling into our new family.

Of course, when it is all said and done, this has all been more than worth it. The two packages of joy we will be carting back with us are worth anything and everything. At this point, I cannot think of a scenario in my life that does not have these two children with us -- not just two children, these two children. They have stolen my heart and refuse to give it back.

Well, with that, I sign off to all of you. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we will see you soon.

11/14/04-A joyous stage for children...

First, let’s start by extending birthday wishes to Thomas McGrath, who turns seven today. Your cousins Jack and Grace wish you a happy, happy birthday.

Over the last couple days, we’ve been dealing with every parent’s favorite stage – teething children. Both kids had two lower teeth when we started, but now they are getting their top teeth. Jack has two upper teeth in and Grace has two in and a third coming. I think I’ve mentioned that Jack gets real strong reactions in the afternoon when his teeth are coming in. His temperature goes up and he gets real irritable. Today was one of his worse. He just started to wail inconsolably. We gave him some Tylenol and a bottle and he snapped out of it. Last night, we think Grace’s teeth were bothering her. We could tell she was tired, but she just would not go to sleep. It would go silent in the room, and then we would hear her cry. This went on late into the night. Finally she settled in and slept until 8 this morning. She had to have an extra nap today to help recover. We have some baby Orajel, but that only helps a little. Apparently, Gma tells me, we have another year of this. Oh, joy, oh, happiness.

Well, we are moving into our last week. Only two more days and we head for Almaty. We are waiting to get the kids’ Kazakhstan passports. For those of you who may have wondered, when this is all said and done, the kids will be dual citizens, holding both Kazakhstan and US passports, until they are 17 at which point they can choose where they want their citizenship. Of course, you know what we hope they choose. Maybe 18 years of drinkable tap water will tip the scales.

Here are a few pictures from today.