Tangled in Red Tape

Sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks, but we are in limbo for the moment. We were supposed to depart this Sunday, March 30. Unfortunately, our visas have not been issued yet because of some red tape.

We hope the delay will be resolved quickly and we'll depart in the next week or two. In the mean time, we are all packed and ready to go.

Packing for this trip has been an adventure in iteself... Chris and I are used to traveling very light, carry-ons only, but not this time! We are checking five bags-- one for each of us, including clothes for our daughter, plus an entire suitcase full of gifts. We had to pick out 16 gifts for the various caregivers, translators, drivers and other people who will be helping us during our stay in Kazakhstan.

I'll post again as soon as I have an update on our travel dates.

Meet Our Daughter

The news came sooner than we expected! Last Friday, photos and a medical report of a 22-month-old girl popped into our email. She's exactly two years younger than Julian, which is nice.

We can't give her name or exact date of birth, but we can tell you that "Baby Z" speaks a few words (in Russian) and likes to play with the other children. We had her medical reviewed by a doctor who specializes in international adoption, and he gave us the green light. So we have accepted the match!

We'll be leaving at the end of March and spending all of April in Kazakhstan -- Chris, Sherry, Julian and Sherry's mom, Shoshanna, will all be traveling. We hope to be home with our daughter by the first of May.

It is so strange to suddenly feel connected to a child on the other side of the world... to wonder what she is doing right now, whether she feels well, whether she is getting enough to eat.

I may not have time to post much over the next couple weeks -- we have to pack, buy plane tickets, get visas, etc. But I do plan to post regularly from Kazakhstan so you can follow along on our journey.

Thanks for reading!