New York, New York

Well, I'm on my way! I'm sitting at JFK Airport, waiting for my flight to Moscow to board. I watched the sun go down and ate a slice of pizza, so I'm ready to go! Shamrock and Kyrgyzstan court, here I come!

The Name Game

One of the first questions we get about our boy when people talk to us about the adoption is, "What is his name?" Like those who wait until their baby is born before revealing the name, we too are waiting until he is officially part of our family to share the name we have chosen for him.

But in the meanwhile, we can play a fun game called "Guess Shamrock's Real Name." I will send an awesome prize (probably something cool from Kyrgyzstan along with some Kyrgyz chocolate!) to the person who correctly guesses his name. I'm betting that nobody will be able to figure it out, but it will be amusing to see the guesses, and you never know! 

I will give you some hints based on my rules for naming. Keep in mind, these are my own personal "rules" for choosing names. If your name doesn't follow these or you have a kid and didn't follow these when naming your child, I'm totally not dissing you. I just have a weird thing about names! So, leave a comment with your guess as to his name, given that it follows these rules:

1. It must be easy to pronounce. If you see it on paper, you would have no question as to how to say it.

2. It must be easy to spell. You should be able to say it to someone, and there will be no question as to how it's spelled.

3. It must be clearly only a boy's name. No girls would have this name.

4. It must not be "trendy." It definitely wouldn't be in the Top 100 names in this country. When he goes to school, there will probably be no other boys in his class with this name.

5. It must not be an invented or strange name. People will have heard of it and know that it's a name (versus a fruit or a color or whatever).

6. It wouldn't have an obvious nickname associated with it. I'm a fan of naming the kid what you want him to be called (otherwise my thought is that you should just name him what you're going to call him!). Yes, I am fully aware that my own husband's name doesn't follow this "rule," and I realize that nicknames (like "Shamrock") may be used anyway.

7. Meaning is huge. The name's got to have a "meaningful" meaning.

8. Some sort of Biblical and/or saint connection is cool.

9. Some other sort of personal connection or significance to the name is important.

10. I typically would want to avoid names that belong to students I've taught, so I don't have any preconceived notions of what someone with this name looks or acts like (for better or worse!). Though I've taught hundreds of students over the years, none of them has ever had the name we've chosen for our boy!

11. Similarly, I wouldn't pick a name that belongs to a friend, family member, or someone I already know, because then his name wouldn't seem like his own (at least in my mind). I wouldn't follow this rule if we were naming him after someone, but we didn't do that in this case.

11. It must not rhyme with anything bad or lend itself easily to teasing.

12. His initials must not spell or stand for anything weird/bad.  

13. It wouldn't be a super long or a super short name.

14. It's not Bruce or Dawn. If you don't understand this rule/joke, say those names real fast along with our last name, Keys. :)

I'm not particular or anything, right? Ha. But seriously, names are a huge deal to me. I'm looking forward to sharing Shamrock's real name with everyone soon, along with the reasons why we chose it. In the meanwhile, let's hear your guesses!

Traveling the Silk Road

A few weeks ago, I spent an afternoon visiting the Denver Museum of Nature and Science because they currently have an exhibit called "Traveling the Silk Road." The country now known as Kyrgyzstan was part of this expansive route that connected China with the rest of Asia, where silk and other goods were traded. Specifically, one of the roads we rode on from Bishkek to Tokmok (where Shamrock's orphanage is) was part of the Silk Road, and the Burana Tower is a remnant from that time. So I figured it'd be worthwhile to take advantage of visiting the exhibit while it's in town and learn more about my boy's homeland.

Unfortunately, the exhibit only really focused on a few major cities along the route, and none of them were in Kyrgyzstan. But, there were live silkworms on display (which was pretty cool), and it was still interesting to learn more about the Silk Road itself. Look at me getting all edu-ma-cated in my free time!

What I'm Wearing

I ordered myself this necklace off of Etsy before we left for our first trip to Kyrgyzstan. It had arrived by the time we got home. I put it on, and I haven't taken it off since then (well, other than to take this picture!). My plan is to wear it until Adoption Day, when we get to take Shamrock out of the orphanage forever! Obviously, it's in the shape of the country of Kyrgyzstan. The heart is located in Tokmok, where Shamrock's orphanage is, and the chain itself is made of little hearts. With this necklace, my little boy is always in my heart until I can get him in my arms!

Snowboarding in Steamboat Springs

Last weekend, Zack and I used some of his hotel points to enjoy a few days snowboarding in the beautiful town of Steamboat Springs, which is about three hours away from Denver. Back on Labor Day weekend, we purchased a 3-day pass to this ski resort, not knowing how perfect the timing would be for one of our last weekends away as just us two. Well, three if you include Molly, because it was a dog-friendly hotel!

We had an awesome time. The hotel was right next to the gondola, so we could walk out the doors and be on the slopes. After snowboarding, we could soak in the rooftop hot tubs while watching other riders tackle the terrain park. We got in some night riding on Friday, enjoyed the freshly fallen snow on Saturday, and the sunshine-filled slopes on Sunday before driving home to watch the Super Bowl.

A couple of things throughout the weekend made us think of Shamrock. First of all, there was a yurt at the top of the mountain! Also, we saw groups of little kids taking ski lessons throughout the day, and it made us excited to get our boy out on the mountain with us, maybe even next winter.


Though it's excruciatingly hard to wait until we get to see Shamrock again, at least we are having fun together in the meanwhile!

Kyrgyzstan Cookie Cutter

How amazing is the Internet? Answer: totally amazing! I mean, who would have thought you could find a Kyrgyzstan-shaped cookie cutter online?! It's true, folks. I ordered one a few weeks ago. I attempted to use it on brownies, but that didn't work too well (too mushy). I think I'll stick to cookies from now on. Maybe each year on Adoption Day (the day we take Shamrock out of the orphanage), we'll make Kyrgyzstan cookies to celebrate!

An Online Baby Shower

I love Colorado. And I love living in Denver. But sometimes living in a completely different state from all of your family members has its downfalls. One of those is that I don't get to have the typical "baby shower" experience with all of my fabulous aunts and girl cousins. Not that I like those "guess what candy bar is in the diaper" games anyway, but celebrations with family members are always fun. 

So get this...my mom is still "throwing" me a baby shower...an online one! She had these adorable "invitations" made and sent to the lovely ladies who would have been there if I still lived in Michigan. Because of my generous family members, so far our little boy now has a bed and mattress to sleep on, a chair to be rocked in, a car seat to sit in, and a table and chairs to play at. I can't wait to decorate his room!