Does it get any cuter than this?!?

Lauren looked like a little boy today in her baseball cap. She didn't care, she thought this hat was neat. She could see it when she looked up and she liked that.
She had a big day today. She did her art work this morning for some visiting officials. We did not see her presentation but her teacher Asya said she was the star of the show. (Our friends are going to get sick of our bragging!)
We have waited such a long time for this dream and she has fullfilled every expectation. We are in love and can hardly wait until she is home with us.

Back to her normal self

Today Lauren was back to her normal self. She likes to be entertained, this one!
Mommy brought the hat.. it is now donated to the orphanage, thank goodness!
Lauren was so excited to see us today. Just makes us feel that much more guilty knowing we'll be leaving in a few days and won't be visiting her for a few weeks. We hope she will forgive us. Still, we can't stand the tought of living this one behind... even for a short time!

Bright & yellow...

My God! I look like a banana! What will they come up with next? This is a jacket that Mommy brought so they can't even blame it on the orphanage! At least I am not wearing a hat....
I'm feeling much better now. I had a good time visting in the morning. Then I forgot to take a nap during lunch so when Mommy and Daddy got back for the afternoon visit I was so tired that I fell asleep in Mommy's arms. Oh well... tomorrow is another day!

The Hospital where Lauren was born

This is the hospital in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan where Lauren was born. Ironically this hospital is just a few blocks away from the orphanage. Boy, her world is about to expand significantly!
Oh.... and it is still snowing...

Lauren & Yelena (Lena)

Lauren was feeling much better today. She seems to be getting over her cold but is still teething. Today she was fascinated with Lena, our translator. She has always liked Lena but today she was extra special. We think Lena is extra special also. We just heard from Lena that our court date has been set for Thursday. That is excellent news since it gives us one extra day in case there are any problems or delays.

Monday 11/28

I felt better today, but I'm still not back to my old self. My nose is still runny. Plus my new teeth that are trying to come in are still bothering me. I spent most of our visit both in the morning and afternoon hanging on Daddy. They had Mommy and Daddy wear face masks today so that they won't catch a cold too. Daddy thinks that's silly. These cheese-cloth masks won't prevent the cold from spreading, plus Daddy wishes that he could transfer my cold to him so that I don't have to feel so uncomfortable. I tried to take off their masks every time I had a chance because I want to see their faces and expressions. I preferred Daddy today because Mommy kept wiping my nose whenever it was running. I don't like to have my nose wiped and that really irritated me. Hopefully Mommy will behave herself better tomorrow and leave my nose alone. Mommy and Daddy had Lena confirm with my doctor today that I can stay in my current group and with my current care-takers until Mommy comes back for me in a few weeks. I think that's good.

To All My Loyal Fans...

To all my loyal fans.... I did not feel good today. My nose and eyes were runny and I just felt generally cranky because of my cold.... but the show must go on. So, when they pulled out the camera I ofcourse had to put on a little bit of a show.
My parents sure hope I feel better tomorrow. They keep worrying about me. The doctor says I am just fine and that it is just a cold that is going around the orphanage.
I think mommy and daddy are starting to stress out about having to go home next week and leaving me behind for a few weeks before mommy comes back for me to bring me home. They shouldn't worry. I'll be fine. I have lived in this orphanage for over 7 months and I can last for a couple of more weeks.
And did I mention that it looks like I am getting two more new teeth? That also makes me a little cranky.

Lauren's friend Alyssa

Here Lauren is playing with her friend Alyssa. Lauren and Alyssa are the oldest babies in this group. Their friend Natasha moved on to the next age group about five days ago.
Unlike Lauren, Alyssa likes her porrige and potatoes.... and anything else that is being offered her.
Kazakhstan is made up of Kazakhs and Russians. Alyssa is Kazakh. Lauren is Russian. We do not know the story behind Alyssa. We believe she is Lauren's age or slightly younger from what the care takers have said.
Finally, Lauren is not keen on sharing her toys... therefore she is keeping the ball as far towards her side as she can manage...

More favorites

Two more of Lauren's great care-takers. The blonde one is Leyla and the one with red hair is Vera. Lauren likes them both, as do we.
We learned today that the word "Prima-Donna" means the same in English as it does in Russian. And the consensus is that Lauren is a "Prima-Donna" because she is so picky about her food and about the toys that interest her.
One thing is constant - when the camera comes out the happy face comes on.

Glad to see mommy this morning!!!

It is an amazing feeling to see this "angel" when she wakes up and reacts this way when she hears your voice. Lars and I just long to take her home with us. We both know it will happen soon. In the meanwhile we both know she is getting excellent care. Still the day we finally get her safely home with us can not come soon enough.

More wonderful care-takers

Lauren likes both of these ladies. The one in yellow is named Asia. We do not know the name of the other one. We have since learned that her favorite of all, the blonde one previously pictured, is named Natasha.
Asia has chosen Lauren to be "the lead" in an art project that will take place while some important officials are coming to the orphanage to observe how things are run. This will take place Wednesday, November 29th.
We both wish that we could communicate with these ladies without the language barrier. They are as wonderful as anyone we have ever met and it would great to learn to know them better.
We so appreciate how they care for Lauren.
We received some good news yesterday. The director of the orphanage has decided that Lauren should stay in her current group and with her current care-takers until Dawn comes back for her in December. She saw no reason for her to change her surroundings a few weeks before we come back for her just because she is nearing 8 months. At 8 months of age children are normally moved to a different group.

New fun game

Lauren has found a new game she enjoys very much. Sitting on my shoulders and using my hair as reigns. Faster! Jump! Do more! My neck and shoulders are very sore.
Today we had to appear in court to file our papers. First time that prospective adoptive parents were asked to appear when the papers were being filed --- at least for anyone that Albina or Lena have worked with. Normally Albina would file the papers and then we are to appear in court on our court date. After two hours of playing with Lauren I had a totally new hair style consisting of baby snot and drool. I think I made a good impression....
We really did not have to do anything at court other than being present. We were not asked a single question during the process. I guess our presence was enough.

Sunset

This was the sunset over the Irtysh River last night. We took the photo from our apartment window.
Hard to believe we only have a little over a week left here now --- then we'll have to leave Lauren behind for 3 weeks before Dawn comes back for her.
Soon we will all be back home on Fox Island. We can't wait. We are thinking Lauren will like it there.

Smooches

Lauren LOVES her smooches. She has since the first day we met her. Speaking of smooches.... I have decided to be totally reasonable and allow her to start dating by the time she is 30 years old (by then I will be too old to chase her boyfriends away anyway....) I'm a reasonable person. Just ask any of our friends!

Happy Thanksgiving

Just when we thought the hats couldn't get any sillier... This one stayed on for about 15 minutes. Mommy did think it was appropriate for Thanksgiving since it had a slight look of the hats the Pilgrim women wore.... but then again maybe not.... Daddy and Lena, the translator, simply thought it made her look like a puppy.... a really goofy looking puppy. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We have a lot to be thankful for this year...

Wednesday afternoon 11/23

During our visit with Lauren Wednesday afternoon she was back to her happy, smiling, and mischievous little self that we have come to know and love. We have been bringing clothes for Lauren to wear at the orphanage each day, and then donating them to the orphanage. As a result we see babies all over the baby-room wearing clothes that we brought. We are now running out of clothes to bring and during this afternoons visit she was wearing the orphanage standard issue clothing.... a little worn, and a few holes here and there, but it worked just fine.

Silly hat, funny faces

Lauren was in a strange mood this morning. Maybe it was the silly looking hat she was wearing. She made some strange faces for the camera. She sure loves to act up for us whenever the camera comes out. We still can't understand why the care-takers at the orphanage always insist on Lauren wearing a hat. Maybe they are trying to hide her big ears! Lauren hates the hats and they usually end up on the floor after 30 minutes anyway. With the temperature as warm as it is in the baby room (feels like 85 degrees Fahrenheit), who can blame Lauren for wanting that thing off her head. Plus, clearly she has more fashion sense than wanting to wear those things anyway. We already know she doesn't like the menu' of porridge and potatoes.... we are starting to think she will be a "high maintenance" type of girl....

Afghan War Memorial

This is a memorial in Ust-Kamenogorsk to commemorate the Russian soldiers that were killed in war during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. Kazakhstan gained it's independence from The Soviet Union in 1990. Up until that point they were part of the Soviet Union. At the center of the memorial is a flame that burns eternally. The memorial backs up to the Irtysh River.

Lauren's favorite nurse/care-taker

This is one of Lauren's favorite caretakers. She likes all of them but some can make her laugh very easily and this is one of them. Due to the language barrier we do not know her name but I think she knows we appreciate all she does with Lauren. In broken English she said, " all babies need a mamma". She is always bringing the other children near us so we can talk to them. Lars and I can not say enough how much we admire the caretakers at the baby house. They told us yesterday we need to come back for a boy. We'll have to see about that....

Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha....

Lauren and Daddy have a new game called "gotcha gotcha gotcha!" Lauren loves this game and Daddy is exhausted and ready to play another game but Lauren wants to keep playing for ever. Maybe this is one of the reasons she falls to sleep in our arms before our two hour visitation is over with. The things daddies will do for their little girls!

Our Crew

Meet our crew. First you have Lena. She is our translator and guide and is doing a great job. Next is our driver, Semyon. Semyon is a 20 year old college student and a hockey player. He's a good driver and very proud of his car. Finally we have Albina. She is the agency process expert and seems very proficient at what she does. The only one who speaks English is Lena. All communication with Semyon or Albina is through Lena acting as translator.

Winter Wonderland

This photo was taken Sunday 11/20/2005 from the front steps of the orphanage. It was -20 degrees celsius Sunday morning. The fog from the Irtysh river moved through on this side of its banks last night causing this beautiful wintry scene. It is amazing how the tree branches frosted up during the night. The bright sun in the daytime further beautifies things.

Sunday 11/20

Lauren seems to be getting over her cold. She was in a good mood Sunday and seemed to enjoy our time outside. She's getting more accustomed to the brightness of the sun. She needs some baby sunglasses. She also needs some hair to hide those ears!

The Irtysh River

This is our view out of our back window of our apartment. The River is the Irtysh River. It flowes into China. This morning it was - 20 degrees celsius (whatever that is in fahrenheit we do not care to know at this point!). Thank goodness the atmosphere is dry and consequently it does not feel as cold as it sounds. Fog rises from the river constantly as we are only 4 days into snowy and sub-zero conditions. According to our translator the river will freeze over soon. Ust-Kamenogorsk is situated 300 kilometers (175 miles) south of Siberia, and 500 kilometers (295 miles) west of China.

Feeding Time

Today, it being Sunday and most managerial folks being away from the orphanage, the care takers decided to let us feed Lauren ourselves. After all... we need to learn how. Lauren does NOT like porridge, and she does NOT like potatoes. She only wants her bottle and/or yogurt, which she will drink from a cup. She simply does not want to eat anything served on a spoon. (If you asked us we believe it is a little early to be forcing solid foods down a 7 month old anyway... but then that is not our decision to make.... at least not for the next few weeks). Lauren arches her back, spits food everywhere... and one of the care takers even makes the sign of the cross before she has to feed her. Mommy was pretty beat after each feeding......
Once we get home to Fox Island we will turn eating into a more interesting and positive experience. Mommy and Daddy aren't particularly fond of porridge or potatoes either....

The Baby-room

This is the baby-room. The room where this group of 0-8 month olds play during the day. Their bedroom is adjacent to this room. In the bedroom each child has their own crib. The blonde care-taker in the second picture appears to be Lauren's favorite. We don't know the lady's name, but you can tell when looking into her eyes that she cares about Lauren like she would care about her own child. The baby sitting up in the second picture is Natasha. She's Lauren's age. Her mother left her at the orphanage because she can't care for her (she already has four children) but she has not given up her parental rights. Once Natasha has been at the orphanage for a certain amount of time without her mother visiting the state can take over and make the child available for adoption. After visiting Lauren for 9 days now Natasha has bonded with us from a distance and does whatever she can to gain our attention. We would bring Natasha home too if we only could.

Saturday 11/19

Lauren is slowly getting over her cold. Today she wanted to be close to us both and she seems to be longing for time to cuddle and relax. Oh how we long to have her home so that we will not be dealing with visitation time limits. We got to go outside today which is still a foreign experience for Lauren, although she seems to enjoy it more and more. It has taken us off guard that she has bonded with us so strongly and so quickly.

Wintry Ust-Kamenogorsk

This photo was taken outside the Russian restaurant where we had lunch yesterday (Friday November 18th). According to our driver it was -10 degrees Celsius outside this morning. The air humidity seems low and it doesn't feel all that cold. We find the snow rather beautiful.

Feeling safe with mommy

The first few days Lauren laughed and played with us but as time progressed she began to want to cuddle and bond. This has just tugged on my heart strings. I just want to let her cuddle and sleep but this is not her sleep time and it tends to make the caretakers upset. They do not want her sleeping while all the other babies are awake. I can hardly wait to get her home so I can cuddle her whenever I want and rock her to sleep. She loves getting close and snuggling while listening to me singing. I am sure she will love a CD instead of my off key wailing - but then again, I may have finally found someone that is fond of my singing!

The Orphanage

This is the orphanage in Ust-Kamenogorsk --- or "The Baby-House" as they call it here. This facility houses the children that are ages 0-3. There are 132 children here. We are amazed at how well the kids are cared for and how clean the facility is. The care-takers treat the babies as their own and it is apparent that the care takers are as attached to the kids as the kids are attached to the care takers. Every day we hear the care takers singing to the kids and playing and laughing is a constant.
When we arrived in Ust-Kamenogorsk on Thursday November 10th they had no snow. It has been snowing every night for the last three and now the entire city is covered in snow. Yet life goes on as normal.

Mommy bonding time

Lauren is such a doll! Lars and I could not imagine life without this bundle of joy. She never cries and it is so easy to bring a smile to her face. I am sure this will change as she becomes more comfortable with us but we are enjoying this special bonding time.

Affection

------------------------------------------------These photos were taken during our fifth day of visiting Lauren. She is getting very inquisitive and affectionate. Dawn bought her a hat with bunnies on it. Our translator laughs every time she sees Lauren in the hat saying it makes her look like a "Russian Cosmonaut". Lauren loves the hat --- especially the two tassels that hang from the ear-flaps. For some reason here at the orphanage they dress their babies in hats a lot.
Lauren has a runny nose and may be catching a cold, so we did not go outside today. Plus it is snowing outside now.

Chillin'

Outside is nice. For both of us I think. This little girl has stolen my heart. Our lives will never be the same. I can't believe that we could be so lucky as to run into her. And we can't wait to have her home and move on with our lives. We are now starting to worry about having to leave her here for 3 weeks before Dawn comes back to claim her once the adoption is legal and everything can be finalized. Our saving grace is that the care takers are wonderful and caring women that treat the children as their own. Still, I just want to bring her home NOW.