We are here....

And we are a family.

And, as has been the case throughout this amazing journey, the process of reuniting with our son unfolded with surprises, twists and turns.

We exited the plane in Almaty, and were reunited in the outdoor luggage waiting area with our coordinator and our driver. (Susan, thanks for posting the Peaches and Herb “Reunited” lyrics in the Comments – it is funny how many times that song has been running through my brain during the last few days!) As we waited on our luggage to be offloaded, we shared the time with Blythe and Seth, here in Ust adopting 4-year-old and 8-year-old siblings, who had been in Almaty for a day working on paperwork. As we stood waiting, our coordinator said that we would stop briefly at the hotel, and then we would be on our way to the baby house. Then, after a short pause, she said, “Do you want to take Makseem out of the baby house today or tomorrow?” Without hesitation, I said “Tomorrow” as Glenn simultaneously was shouting “Today, of course!” I instantly felt like a horrible mother (“what mother wouldn’t want her child out of the baby house immediately?!”), but Practical Karen just kept talking about the need for a good night’s sleep, etc. I had dreamed of this moment for over a year, and this was not unfolding the way I’d imagined! Instead, my mind was racing with thoughts like “I am exhausted.” “I don’t have my photo gift cards in order for the caretakers.” “My take-him-from-the-baby-house outfit isn’t ironed, and I’ll never have time to get The Shiny River to provide me with an iron on such short notice” and “Just give me one more day to really absorb that we’re about to become parents to an 18-month-old.”

We traveled to the hotel in silence, and I contemplated trying to sleep for the 20 minute ride as I wondered if that was the last time I would sleep for the foreseeable future. :-)

We checked in easily, got into the room easily, and had a crib delivered easily. If I was seeking a sign that we just shouldn’t rush this afternoon to bring Makseem to the hotel, there were none to be found. So, we quickly prepared to go get our son.

And, we did.

We arrived at the baby house at 4:00, and the first thing we did was head to the office, so we could drop off the donations. We were smart in that we left that duffle bag in the trunk of the car while we rushed up to the hotel room. Only one problem with that brilliance – we had locked the bag for travel, and we forgot to take the key to the baby house! So, we have some great photos of a giant duffle bag being presented to the baby house. When we returned to the hotel a few hours later, we gave the key to one of the translators, and we’ve been assured that the bag has been opened and everyone is thrilled with the donations!

As we left the office, the Head Doctor’s assistant motioned for me to come over and sign my name on a line in two different books – similar books to the one that we signed each day to record our visits. Later, when I asked our translator when we’d be signing the Adoption Decree, which we’d been told would happen at the baby house, she said “You already did.” I knew everything was a giant blur, but I was pretty sure I would have remembered signing an Adoption Decree! She then gently informed me that when I signed those two books, that was it. What? Where’s the big scroll with the fancy yarn on each end? And what about Glenn? Shouldn’t we both have had twill pens in our hands, with the moment photographed for posterity sake? So, add Adoption Decree to the list of documents (joining things like the I-171 and Visas) that don’t live up to the reputations that precede them.

We then headed up to Makseem’s room – I swear I could hear my heart beating as we walked up the stairs to his third floor room. Glenn made it into the room first -- I think he literally ran up the stairs while I walked politely with the translator who had been provided to us for this moment. All of the kids were seated in a line-up of chairs, and neither of us could spot Makseem. In comparing notes later regarding that exact moment, we both were having the same thought: “Oh great, we already forgot what he looks like!” (As if that were ever to be possible – we have stared at photos of him seemingly dozens of times a day for the last five weeks!). Turns out, he was blocked from sight by another little boy, and as the caretakers said “Makseem’s Mama” and “Makseem’s Papa”, he leaned forward and spotted Glenn. My heart melted as our son toddled over to his Papa with his arms in the air.

The next several minutes were both exciting and difficult, and were being facilitated by a translator who’d we known for all of 10 minutes. We suspect she had never been part of a “gotcha’ day before”, and it was difficult to watch two of our favorite caretakers come to the realization that we were taking Makseem with us – forever – in a few short minutes. I had imagined that this moment would have been preceded by a few days of visits, giving Makseem time to become reacquainted, giving the caretakers time to prepare for his departure over a couple of days, and giving Glenn and me time to say thank you to as many caretakers as we could over the course of those few days. I thank God that two of our favorite caretakers were on duty at that moment.

As I dressed Makseem in his new clothes, I asked the translator to ask the caretakers to write down his schedule, and to write down the foods that he typically eats each day. We had been able to help with lunch and afternoon snack time, but we wanted to have a record of his typical entire day. After I dressed him, I handed him back to one of the caretakers, and she fought as hard as she could to keep from crying (as did I). These wonderful women of course know that these moments are inevitable, and they undoubtedly know that the children will be provided with a lifetime of opportunity. Still, it was heartbreaking watching the two of them say good-bye, and the lump in my throat rises every time I replay that moment in my mind.

We spent a few more minutes taking video and pictures of his room and his roommates, and we hugged all of the children, many of whom were new faces to us.

And then we walked down the steps and out the front door for the last time. We were thrilled to bump into Rod and Tammy from Canada, who have just adopted 15-month-old Makseem. We have a great photo of the two dads and the two Makseems!

And then, we got in the car and drove away.

And our son has been happy and smiling ever since.

We were as prepared as we could be for a screaming, crying, scared-to-death little boy. Instead, we have a bundle of personality. Glenn and I often look at one another and joke, “Where is the boy we met five weeks ago?” Yes, he still has his very serious moments, but we have a happy, giggling, babbling little boy on our hands. And we are more in love than ever!

We have been on the go since arriving to the hotel, making an immediate trip to the grocery store as we didn’t even have water in our room when we arrived with him in our arms on Friday evening. We laid low on Friday, having dinner in the room and spending most of the night just staring at our son. At bed time, we dressed him in his footy pajamas and rocked him for a bit. It was right around 8:00 PM, and both Glenn and I were having a hard time staying awake by then, so we knew it would be a long night if Makseem struggled. As he dosed off in my arms, I laid our beautiful son in his crib, and he didn’t utter a sound until 6 the next morning. We were so shocked at how peacefully he was sleeping that we took turns all night long getting up to check to make sure he was still breathing.

We had a great reunion with The Shiny River breakfast, highlighted by meeting Laura, who is here adopting a five-year-old, and Dan and Allison, who are here adopting a baby girl. Dan and Allison are the couple I spoke with before they headed to Ust, and it was so great to meet them and their two darling sons. When we had checked into the hotel the day before, we were handed a picture that the boys had drawn for us to welcome us back to Ust. We have it proudly on display in our room, and it will hold a place forever in Makseem’s memory book.

We spent Saturday morning strolling around this town that we love. After initial hesitation as we prepared for our first grocery store trip on Friday, Makseem now happily sits in his stroller and seems to be just taking in the scenery. (We considered using an Ergo carrier, but we’ve got a big boy on our hands, so we are going with the stroller and finding as many other moments as we can for up-close attachment times). We’re glad that we dragged our McLaren stroller with us – he already took his first morning nap in it while at the park yesterday, and it was great to be able to recline him and let him sleep while we just enjoyed hanging out on a beautiful day at the park.

Saturday night, we had a fantastic evening at the Chinese restaurant, where we dined with Sevi (from South Africa), her 8-year-old son who traveled back with her for this second trip, and two-and-a-half-year-old Roma, who had just hours before walked out from the Baby House. We had so enjoyed Sevi and her husband Paolo’s company during our first trip, so this reunion was special. The kids were all amazing, and we enjoyed a great dinner and even better company. Sevi is leaving Ust with the two boys today (Sunday) as are we (although she must go first to Astana, where the South Africa Embassy is located), so having a final special night together – with our boys – was priceless.

In a few short hours, we will leave Ust. The amazing journey continues.

Eating a messy macaroni and something-or-other dinner.

This great big world is exhausting!