Tomorrow is Only a Day Away

We fly out of Denver tomorrow! I'm pretty much all packed, other than my camera which is charging and my computer which I'm using! Zack's about 2/3 done. We managed to pack one checked bag and one carry-on bag per person. Hopefully we'll have room to bring home some souvenirs.

We're all checked in. The shuttle is picking us up at about 11am. Our first flight leaves at 1:38pm. Several people have asked about the flights. I totaled up how long we are actually in the air (not including layovers or anything else), and it came to almost exactly 40 hours there and back per person. So imagine spending an entire work week in the air-that's what we'll be doing!

Tomorrow, we have a 2 1/2 hour flight to Chicago, then a 3 hour layover before flying to Dubai. That's our long flight...about 13 1/2 hours! But it's on Emirates Airline, which is supposed to be pretty nice. After a 3 1/2 hour layover in Dubai, we take a 4 hour flight to Bishkek, where we will be staying. We land at 4:40am on Friday morning, and someone from Hotel Futuro will pick us up. Then we get to sleep (yeah right!) for a few hours until our driver picks us up with our in-country coordinator to visit the orphanage in Tokmok and meet our son for the very first time!

It'll be sad to say goodbye to Molly for two weeks, but I'm sure she'll have fun with her sitters, especially since they have dogs too. She's already passed out for the night.

We will have WiFi at the hotel, so I plan on updating this blog regularly. I won't be able to post pictures of our boy (yet), but I'm bringing my good camera to get shots of the country and our activities. We will also have access to e-mail, Facebook, iMessage, and Skype, so keep in touch!

First Shopping Trip

I spent the afternoon at the mall doing some Christmas shopping. It was different than any shopping I've done before, because I had a reason to go into some shops I've never been in...kids' stores! I spent waaaay too long at Toys "R" Us, but I didn't even buy much there because everything needs to fit inside a suitcase and not have several pieces that will get lost at the orphanage. I did find some stacking cups, toddler blocks, big crayons, and a ball. I also want to get some bubbles and stickers. I bought a few little books, including The Night Before Christmas, so we can start the tradition of reading that to him on Christmas Eve.

I also bought our boy some clothes, including a Broncos outfit, a Colorado outfit, and a Christmas outfit. I'm totally guessing on his size (I bought 2T). Most stuff looks big, but I figure he can grow into it if needed. My favorite find is a shirt that says "Today is My Day," which I think we'll try to put on him the first day we meet him (or maybe on his birthday)! I also made a Build-A-Bear (well, a dog), and put a recording of me saying "Mommy loves you" inside its paw. Speaking of dogs, you might be able to see Molly in the background of the picture. She was extremely jealous that none of the toys I brought home were for her!

While I've been busy shopping, my mom is hard at work making her new grandson his very first blanket! She picked out some awesome wintery material at the store (the picture shows the back) and is sewing it tonight. I can't wait to snuggle him in it. When she was in town for Thanksgiving, Grandma Vickie bought him the cute stuffed zebra you can see in the picture above. He's already getting spoiled by his grandmothers, and he's not even here yet!

It's nice to finally be able to shop for a child and to no longer say we have literally nothing for him. I'm sure there's more shopping to come!

Christmas in Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek at Christmastime

Three years ago we spent Christmas on the beach in Australia. Two years ago we were on a beach in New Zealand. This year, we'll be on the other side of the world again, but there will definitely be no beach. In fact, we will probably be freezing. But it will be the best Christmas ever, because we will be in Kyrgyzstan with our son!

That's right, our first trip to meet and bond with our little boy has been officially scheduled. You can read the post below about receiving our referral less than two weeks ago. We have to arrive in Bishkek (the capital city) on December 19, so we are leaving on December 17 (yes, so soon!). Our child is in an orphanage in Tokmok, a city about forty-five minutes outside of Bishkek. Starting December 19, we get to visit him there every day for an hour or two.

We'll not only get to spend Christmas together as a family for the first time, but we'll get to celebrate his second birthday with him on December 23! After ten days, we head back to the United States. Sadly, it'll be without him, as we don't get to bring him home until our third trip. We'll be coming home via Moscow, stopping over in that city for New Year's Eve.

It's going to be a whirlwind of a trip. I'm already a bit overwhelmed with preparations and logistics. This afternoon, I spent about six straight hours just researching and then booking flights. And I'm sadly not even going to decorate our house for Christmas, since we leave so soon and won't be here to enjoy a tree or lights. But it will be worth it. Best Christmas present ever!!!

A Thanksgiving to Remember

We received a referral!!!

Last Sunday, when we were in line for a buffet (which we ended up not going to) in Las Vegas, Zack checked his e-mail. I was looking over his shoulder, and I saw that he had a message from the coordinator at our adoption agency. He opened it, we read the message and glanced at the pictures of the child, but we didn't have much time to really look at it or think about it, as we had to get to the airport to catch our flight home.

We got some more information from our coordinator on Monday morning, I had some online discussions about toddler versus infant adoption with previous adopters during the day, and on Monday evening, Zack and I talked about the referral. We looked at the pictures and watched the short video that came in the e-mail, and we decided to accept!

We are hoping that this child will soon be a part of our family. Here are the details:

It's a BOY!
He'll be two at the end of December.
He's Kyrgyz and adorable.

I'm sorry I can't share any more at this point. We are only allowed to share the pictures, video, and name (which will become his middle name) with our immediate families for legal reasons.

So, now we are waiting on word of our first travel dates to meet and bond with him. We should know more soon, but it could be as early as December 15! I'll update as we know more.

Before eating Thanksgiving dinner, we surprised our parents with the video and announcement, and we have that taped. Some day, I'll be able to post that here, but it was definitely a Thanksgiving to remember!

Our Adoption Announcement

November is National Adoption Awareness Month. Today is World Adoption Day. Therefore, it seems like the appropriate day for us to officially announce that we are adopting from Kyrgyzstan! Please watch our video!