All about J

My favorite things

It is amazing how fast time is going by! I think the best part of having Juliana home is watching her grow and discover the world around her. Everyday is an adventure~ a rock in her path, a bird flying, a mud puddle, an ant~ all hold such fascination. It is just magical to see her explore her world. I am so thankful that we all get to be a part of it. How lucky are we!!! Juliana has definite opinions on what is her favorite things...animals (cows, dogs and birds are the most cherished), books (loves to read and kiss all the animals on the pages- very cute), fruits (all kinds-can eat them all day long), peas (how long will that last!), being in water (it doesn't matter if it is from a glass or the sink), studying how things work (a scientist perhaps?), and best of the best~ climbing (she will try to scale anything she can).
I can also say that Juliana is a very happy, smart and funny little girl. It is so much fun to see her personality develop. She is the darling of everyone who meets her. She is still a little pixie, but don't let her size fool you~ she is very strong!

Some of these pictures were taken at the 4-H fair this summer. She is following in the Kaz tradition of horsemanship and had her first pony ride. She loved the animals and it was a great day. Soon enough the summer will be over and it will be time for pumpkins......

Summer Fun

Juliana's christening and party was on July 22nd. The church service was really nice~ Pastor Chris did a great job and made it personal to her. It was difficult to keep her still during the service and to prevent a meltdown from occurring... but she did better than I thought she would. I chose two Godmothers for the occasion~ Karen and Diane (my sister and my cousin-sister). We all went up to the baptismal stand (not sure what it is called), Juliana decided to be funny. She loves to blow raspberries, especially with food in her mouth. I think it is funny and of course, I laugh when she does it. That encourages her to do it more. My mom always tells me not to laugh at her, because she does it out at restaurants and other public places. There we are at a nice dinner or affair and she is blowing raspberries and food is everywhere. But she starts laughing and I start laughing... she is so stinking cute! Well, she decides that the alter in church is a good place to blow raspberries and to laugh at herself. I can't help but to laugh at her, which makes her do it more. I can just hear my mom's voice in my head saying..." you shouldn't have encouraged this behavior" . The minister was even having trouble not laughing. I just hope God has a sense of humor! It was so funny...
One more word on the service.... her dress was so incredible. It was like a vintage heirloom lace outfit. It was ivory, with matching ivory shoes.... fabulous gown.
Ok, the party.... we had about 50 or so people there. It was so much fun. Again, the weather cooperated and it was a gorgeous day. I was glad to have the family meet the princess. Everyone just adores her! I thank everyone for being there. I especially thank Karen and Diane for being her Godmothers.

Juliana is now walking across the room, but still prefers to crawl if she needs to get somewhere fast. I can't believe she is walking, when just a few months ago, when we first met, she couldn't sit up by herself! She is just amazing to me... so smart, so funny and happy. We are all so lucky to have her in our lives....

Happy Birthday to Juliana!

The day the I have been dreading has finally come.... My baby girl has turned one year old! I didn't want this day to come~ she isn't a baby anymore. I missed her infancy and I am not ready to move on yet. However, time has other ideas! I wrote that when I was in Astana, someone added hours onto the days there. Now, someone is taking them away! Anyway, we had a summer BBQ birthday party for the princess. There were about 24 people~ family and friends~who came to celebrate her special day. It was a fantastic day with great weather. I think she enjoyed her party!


Juliana is standing on her own for minutes at a time, but she still prefers speed crawling to learning to walk. However, the weekend after her birthday, she took her first steps! It was the most exciting thing I have ever seen! She is just to cute!
I realize that I am in trouble now~ she is now learning a new mode of transportation. Eventually, she will be running and will probably not slow down for a long time.

I have planned Juliana's christening for the end of July. It will be a celebration for the entire family to meet Juliana. I am looking forward to it.

Life in the USA

I didn't realize how challenging single motherhood would be! I figured~ I am an intelligent woman who has resources and advice, I will be able to do this without a problem. WRONG! Ok, from the beginning. It took a few days to get used to being home. Everything was strange...driving, time, English signs, noise. Then add a baby who is also feeling that everything is different. Yes, you get a bit of chaos. The first month was a blur.. exhaustion, disorganization and little sleep. Then it started getting better with each week. I was thinking that I was doing fair at this.... more confident... aren't I something? Then, May 14th, I went back to work. Are you kidding me? I have to work and take care of me, the house and the baby? This sucks!!! I know all the mothers out there are laughing right now. Welcome to the exclusive club of overworked, under appreciated working mothers!

Well, enough of that....back to the issue at hand...my wonderful baby girl! In spite of me and my many mistakes, Juliana has managed to become very well adjusted to life in the United States. She amazes me with her spirit and intelligence. She is nothing like the child that I took out of the babyhouse in Astana. She is so much more! This child crawls so fast, it is funny to watch. She is a tiny, mighty petite powerhouse! I think that I will be in trouble in a few years.

I have figured out her favorite things:

animals~ preferably dogs, cats and birds

music~ she dances and laughs to all types of music

climbing~ she will try to scale anything (gymnast in training?)

fast motion~ I hope not a daredevil in training....

She smiles and laughs alot, she understands more words in English after being home only a few months than I can Ever hope to learn in Russian, and she is a joy to be around. We are definitely enjoying life... now if only I could find a way to not work~ all would be perfect!
I at least have support in my other single adoptive moms. I keep in touch with my Astana friends and we commiserate together. I must say that life is good and I feel very blessed. I do miss my friends in Kaz. I have heard from Zuhkra and will write to Alma soon. I want them to know how wonderful Juliana is doing.

My next post: The First Birthday!!!

PS: Happy Birthday to Maya and Milo!

Homeward Bound

Ok, I know that I just left everyone without an ending~wondering "so what happened next?" I will try to catch you up on the story. We arrived in Almaty on Sunday evening and was taken to another apartment. This apartment was very nice, it figures we are only staying for two days! Since we will only be here such a short time, there is no need to get to comfortable. Almaty is a great city.. it is much warmer and has a lot of trees. The best part of the city is the mountains.... they are so incredible. The two days there were a whirlwind~ embassy visit, clinic appointment and shopping. Just as we were starting to take a breath, it was time to start our long journey home. In the middle of the night on Tuesday, we packed up and left for home. It was very bittersweet to leave Kazakhstan. I will miss so much about being here. I know that I will be starting a new and creating a new journey, but this part of our story has it's roots here. This is where it all began and so many memories are wrapped around that. However, the time has come to go home. Unfortunately, Juliana is still pretty sick. She has a bad cough and congestion. I am still giving her the Russian mystery meds... but it is not making a difference. I just want to get her home. It makes me nervous to have her so sick and to be so far away from medical care. Finally, it was time to go...all of us and our luggage piled into a car that wasn't made for everything that was being jammed into it! One the way to the airport, our new coordinator's father was sitting next to Juliana and myself. He was a kindly older man who always had a smile. Juliana held onto his fingers the entire way to the airport. It was really amazing to see.... the energy and wisdom from the elder Kazakh to the infant~ it was a symbolic goodbye to her country as she starts her new life. Well, to make a long story short, after 26 hours of travel time, two airplanes, several time zones and to many hours in Frankfurt's airport....Juliana and I landed home safely. The feeling of touching down in Philadelphia was overwhelming. Not only were we safely home, but Juliana was officially a United States citizen! I have to say that I couldn't have done it without my BFF Trish. She was the best and I can't thank her enough. I am so lucky that she decided to visit us in Kaz. I am forever in her debt!

Even though we are home and one part of our story is told, there is so much more to come. I will always cherish my time in Kazakhstan. I have learned so much about their culture, their history and their people. It is a part of us and will remain close to my heart. I have so much to share with Juliana about her heritage and about our time there. I have come home a different person than when I left. I will miss the people I have come to call my friends, the babyhouse, the city of Astana and being part of the life there. I also will say a prayer for all the amazing children....

I also want to thank everyone for sharing my story with me. Your support meant everything to me. There were times when I didn't think I could do it and your words and encouragement kept me going. I will continue to update this blog.......from this side of the pond.... about Juliana's progress.

Good Bye for now

Life With the Princess

I know that I haven’t written in a while… so I will give a quick update. On Wednesday, we went to the babyhouse in the afternoon to pick up Juliana. We bought cakes and flowers for the caregivers and medical staff (I know how much the medical people like treats!). It was a day of celebration, but also of sadness for the people who have been the only family she has ever known. The hardest goodbye was with the caregivers in her room. I have been there with them for almost 7 weeks and know how much they care for the children. I think they are happy for the children being adopted, but it must be so sad to see them go. However, I thank them for all the times they smiled, laughed and sang to the babies. It was a happy room, granted not a home, but not a miserable place. You always had a lot of friends to play with! After all the emotional well-wishes, Juliana and I walked out of the babyhouse for the last time. In my possession were 5 medicines and her schedule all in Russian. Ok, this was going to be fun. I had no idea what medicine I was giving her and for what. My interpreter had to give me dosage and times….talk about blind faith. She had some type of respiratory illness, besides other things that I won’t get into now. I can do this…. If I can survive here for 7 weeks, I can do anything!
I am happy to report that Juliana is feeling better and we all have survived. My thanks to Mother Earth~ Trish, because I couldn’t have done it without her. She is the best friend ever (not to take away from my other friends).

Even though I thought it would never arrive, I am packing up tomorrow and flying to Almaty. I am officially 3 ½ days from going home. I can’t even imagine it. I am very ready to go. Even though I am fond of snow, and I adore my team here, I want to be where more than 2 people speak English. I am also ready for warmer weather. It snowed here up to Wednesday. Even though it is probably 20-30’s, it is still cold.

As for Juliana’s adjustment~ she is a trooper. She is very active, very determined and so happy most of the time. She will melt everyone’s heart. She sleeps in a pack and play that has been passed through the travelers… and she has figured out how to make it double as a moon bounce.
Well, I must go for now. We have a busy day tomorrow~ packing, flying, paperwork…If I don’t get a chance to post from Almaty. I will see everyone at home. It has meant the world to me that you have been on this journey with me. There have been times that I didn’t think I would be at this point…. With Juliana asleep peacefully in this place. Your support and words have helped me go on.

Bol’shoe Spasibo
Thank you very much