Homecoming!

Kathryn and Mommy as we landed in Orlando.

Welcome to the United States.

Our first Family photo at the Orlando Airport!

Aunt Debbi, Nana and Maddi with sleeping Kathryn.

Daniel and Joseph enjoying their new sister!

After over 30 hours of travel from door to door, it was great to be home. We were welcomed in Orlando by The 3 Big Brothers (Michael, Daniel and Joseph), Nana, Papa, Aunt Debbi, Uncle Dennis, Maddi and Steven. It was great to get hugs from the boys while Kathryn fell asleep on Nana's shoulder making her a very happy Nana! Thursday was Debbi's 40th Birthday, so we were able to wish her a Happy Birthday too. Our family of 6 now takes up an entire van with only one seat leftover - Wow - so it took 2 vans to get all of us home. It was a talkative ride with the boys wanted to catch us up on everything that has happened and lots of questions about our trip. With all the activity, Kathryn still slept the whole trip home.

It is hard to believe the entire travel journey is done. The real journey is just beginning as we settle back into a routine. The days seem to be going by so much faster now that we are home and have so much to do. The days in Kaz were quiet and slow, while our daily routine here at home passes the time so quickly.

Thursday night we all slept through the night - even Kathryn. It was great to get some sleep after so many hours of small cat naps along the way. Kathryn woke on Friday with a big smile after a great nights sleep in her crib. I really think she is going to like her crib as the mattress is so much more firm that those that she slept in in Kaz. At least we hope so. After a day of running errands and taking Kathryn to her first doctor's appointment, we went to Mama Louise and Grandaddy's so they could meet their newest Great Granddaughter. We had a great time and Kathryn did really well with all the activity. She continues to look for her Mom and Dad when she is over stimulated or startled. It was a lot of activity that she was not used to, but she really adjusted well.

The Big Brothers continue to want to take their turn in holding Kathryn and playing with her. At Mama Louise and Grandaddy's their was a lot of competition as to who was going to hold her - just about everyone got their turn. Papa had some one on one time at the office earlier in the day since he didn't get a chance to hold Kathryn at the airport. Uncle Dennis, Steven and Aunt Cheryl are still awaiting their chance to hold her. In due time . . .

We will continue to update the blog as we begin our time as a family of 6. Thanks to everyone who has followed our journey. Your thoughts and prayers have meant the world to us! The journey has just begun . . . stay tuned!

Press 1 For English

I think everyone should learn at least one foreign language. It's a shame that in America most people do not speak a second language because the ability to communicate through a foreign language is empowering. We have had the opportunity to meet people in our travels and have encountered no less than four different languages spoken. The people at Lufthansa need to be fluent in a minimum of two languages and most know at least three or four. For us, of course, the language we most frequently encountered was Russian which I did manage to learn a little prior to traveling and it came in very handy. Nontheless, for some silly reason I was never mistaken for a Russian speaking person. Maybe it's my western European features or maybe my tan sub zero winter coat I got from Land's End. That one really seemed to draw a lot of attention. Almost everyone here wears some shade of black. I would walk into a store or onto a plane and hear either German, Russian or Kazakh spoken only to be greeted with a "Hello".

One time during our stay I was in the grocery store looking for some jelly, not just any kind but I had to have grape. So I'm standing there looking at the pictures to see if I can see any semblance of grapes in the pictures. I did learn the Cyrillic alphabet so I can read the words but am completley reverted to 5 year old status when I try. Ok that letter is a "P", that letter is an "L". After I finally transliterate the letters then I have to break it down to syllables and muster a pathetic effort to pronounce the word. My patience and understanding level just increased for reading with my 5 year old. So I'm standing there with a jar of jelly in each hand intently looking at the pictures when I hear a voice say in perfect English, "Do you need some help?". Now, at first I thought I was hearing things, especially when I looked up and saw a young Kazakh woman standing there looking at me. Up to this point the only people who spoke English with us were the interpreter and other Americans. In amazement, I said, "you speak English!" She was kind enough to ask the clerk for me and told me she learned English at the local university.

After weeks of trying to communicate in another language I guess you could say you get into a mode. I was in Russian mode. Communicating with the driver, the housekeeper, buying things at the store or green market. No one knows English (except for the nice young Kazakh lady at the store). We would even joke around with the other adoptive parents there and try to speak Russian to each other. So we are on our final leg home at the airport in Frankfurt and I'm looking at our boarding passes and the seat assignment just didn't seem like it was a bulkhead row so I head to the closest ticket counter to ask an agent. The closest Lufthansa ticket counter that was open was for a flight to somewhere in Africa that I have never heard of, and my geography is pretty good. So I walk up to the counter and before I could say anything the agent looks up and says hello to me...IN RUSSIAN. Okay, I'm in Germany, at the ticket counter for a flight to somewhere in Africa, and I get a "ZDRASTvuytye". Maybe it was my black shirt. I'm pretty sure I had the same stupid look on my face as I did in the grocery store. So of course being completely out of mode all I could muster was a lame, "Hello". Darn it, I missed my opportunity.

We patiently waitied out the next 5 hours for our flight home and looked forward to not having to hold Kathryn for the 10 hour flight. She will appreciate that too. So finally time comes to get on board which we do and find our seats, right on the bulkhead. As the flight attendants come around to assist people with their seats and luggage one comes by us, notices the infant, bulkhead row, I'm sure she was thinking 'ok these people will need a bassinet'. She says "Sprechen zie Deutsch?" Now I'm really confused and not sure wheather to fish or cut bait let alone figure out which language I'm supposed to speak. Maybe it was because I have already been awake for 24 hours, maybe it was because the lady at the African ticket counter threw me back to Russian mode, or maybe it was because I just wanted to redeem myself for the lost opportunity of being mistaken for a Russian speaking person and this was the closest I could get, I simply answered her, "Nyet!"

It’s Time…We’re Coming Home!

It’s our last full day here not only in Almaty but Kazakhstan as well. Tonight, Vitali will pick us up at 2330 and head to the airport to begin our 31 hour journey home. Today I went to the Lufthansa office and was able to get Kathryn’s ticket for the flight home. The lap tickets aren’t too bad running just under $300 and we were able to get the bulkhead row so we can use the basinet for Kathryn to sleep. That will be more comfortable for all of us.

Last evening we caught up with another American couple here from central Illinois who are with the same agency. We had Vitali pick them up at their apartment and meet us at a Mongolian restaurant for dinner. As usual, Vitali came through for us and got us settled in and translated our dinner order before he left. Tonight they braved the unknown city and walked over to our apartment for dinner. It’s great to be a part of our agency as they really foster an environment for the families to communicate with each other. A good ending to a great experience in Kazakhstan with new friends. Later we will get ready to head to the airport and say goodbye for now to Kathryn’s homeland. We should arrive home at 640p and Kathryn will become a U.S. Citizen as soon as we land!

Hello Alma-Ata

We arrived in Almaty Sunday evening after a brief delay leaving Astana and an uneventful flight. The weather leaving Astana was foggy but very shortly after takeoff we were above the cloud deck revealing the last of a blue sky and beautiful sunset out our window.

Kathryn was a great traveler and slept most of the way on the flight and about half the way on the four hour car ride from Koksheatu to Astana. It seems to get colder as we went further south to Astana getting into the vast openness of the steppes. There is still snow on the ground and trees that makes you cold just looking at the scenery.




Almaty was the capital of Kazakhstan before they moved it to Astana in 1997. It is a large city that could be compared, on a smaller scale, to New York or Chicago. Lots of new construction going on with their expanding economy and as they are prepare for the Winter Asian Games in 2011 as well as make their bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2014. Monday we had an appointment with the sisters to go over our schedule for the three days and sign some final paperwork. Kathryn had her medical exam as well at the international S.O.S clinic. Nice doctor from South Africa working there and he was thorough with her medical information and answered any question we had. Kathryn did wonderfully and we were finished in about 30 minutes. Tuesday is a free day for us as Kathryn’s passport needs to be registered in Astana so we are heading to the mountains for some sightseeing and lunch. Wednesday I will stop by the Lufthansa office to purchase Kathryn’s ticket and hopefully get us a spot in the bulkhead row before heading off to the American Embassy for some final immigration paperwork.

Today, Tuesday, our driver Vitali took us to the mountains here. The Tien Shen range is about a 45 minute drive from the city and you are quickly in colder weather. The Tien Shen range runs from Kyrgyzstan in the south through Kazakhstan, China, to Tibet in the north. The mountains here host a ski resort that, too, is undergoing reconstruction as well as the skating rink which will be used for speed skating, etc. for the games. Normally we would be able to take a gondola to the top but unfortunately it was not in operation during our visit. So instead we took the opportunity to enjoy the clean air on a cloudless day with the temperature cold enough that the snow does not melt but in direct sun warm enough for us to enjoy lunch outside. Vitali ordered lunch for us which was a Russian soup that resembled vegetable beef as well as some chicken kabobs. Of course, before the soup it is Russian tradition to have a little vodka prior to eating. Who are we to break tradition. It was an excellent lunch at the restaurant at the base of the slopes overlooking the mountain peaks with a blue sky backdrop. Please enjoy some of the sights in the pictures below.

Medeo Ice Arena near Almaty that will be used for the 2011 Asian Games

The view from our lunch table

Last Full Day in Kokshetau

Today we will begin packing for our trip to Almaty tomorrow. We do so with sadness and joy in our hearts. The sadness because this is Kathryn's birthplace and we have enjoyed our time here. The life here is simple. We have made new friends here. Even our landlady brought us a gift for Kathryn. It is a beautiful hat. Every Kazakh beauty must wear a hat outside during winter or summer. Of course, there is joy in the fact that we will finally be heading on our way home to the rest of the family and our friends. We have missed you all so much! Talking to the boys every day on Skype is no substitute for the hugs and kisses every night! We are excited to begin our life as a family of 6 after our 16 month journey to Kathryn.

Today we will pack and then go out with Makhabbat one last time. This time she is taking us to the local college to meet some students who are studying English. A few weeks ago Dave mentioned that he'd like to meet some of the students. Little did he know that Makhabbat would actually arrange it. She is amazing. After we go to the college, we will take one last trek to the Green Market. We need to find some shoes/booties for Kathryn's trip. I did not bring any with me and we don't think it will be acceptable to the older Kazakhs to have her in socks. Tonight we are planning dinner of take-out Shish Kabobs from The Rainbow Cafe with Justin and Cathie. You have to order them by 2pm, but you can't pick them up until around 8pm. It makes for a late dinner, but boy are they good!

Saying Goodbye to Luba. Kathryn will miss her and I'm sure Luba will miss Kathryn. All the Russian talk between the two them that we couldn't understand. :-)

Saying Goodbye to Makhabbat was difficult. She truly became a friend to us. She is holding an art piece that her 7 year old daughter, Arajan, just finished. Looks like it was made for Florida.

Cathie and Kathryn. It was great to have Cathie and Justin around for the the past week. We wish them all the best with Landon.

Some random facts about Kaz

Mustard and Ketchup come in squeeze packs not bottles.

It is a tea country not a coffee country (which I have come to enjoy).

There are stray dogs everywhere!
People are out at all hours of the night.

People walk everywhere, even across town.

High heel, stilleto boots are the common fashion statement.

The yogurt is amazing - I could eat it every day, and practically have.

You can't find less than 1.5% milk.

A loaf of bread costs .36 cents (45 tenge) and it's really good.

No matter how hard you try to blend in, you will always look like an American.

Black is the wardrobe color of choice.

Children here go to school 6 days a week.

Children are out and about without adults all the time, and it's ok!
Some cars, not all, have the driver's seat on the right.
They sell Chocolate butter - no I did not try it!

They have awesome cookies and torts - yes I did try them!
It gets really cold!
PaKA Kokshetau! We will miss you!

And then there were Three...

What a difference a few weeks makes.
Picture on left from early October. On right from early November.

It's hard to believe that we only have three days left here in Kokshetau before heading to Almaty to finish out our paperwork and medical evaluation for Kathryn. This place has become as much a part of us as Kathryn has. I guess you could say that we not only bonded with her, but her place of birth as well. We had seen so many blogs from families travelling here that when we walked into the cottage it was already a familiar place, as were some of the people here that appeared in pictures. We have enjoyed our time here and have met other wonderful adoptive parents whose trips have overlapped with ours (six other families) and will leave with many wonderful memories. It's much different when your here, someplace that is new and the places to be discovered like the small shops and markets. The people here have been gracious, especially someone that has had no obligation to us...Makhabbat. She is a translator that almost always works with families that travel to the baby house about an hour away from Kokshetau. She has literally gone out of her way to show us as much of the culture here as possible.

Picture below is Makhabbat in front of Kokshetau Museum

Yesterday, Makhabbat took me and another adoptive family to the Kokshetau regional Museum for a little history while Karie was enjoying some time with Kathryn. The city of Kokshetau was settled in the early 19th Century as a Soviet administrative outpost. One of the early Soviet administrators from the early 20th century actually lived in the house that now serves as the museum. Under Soviet rule the country was used not only as farm lands for cotton and wheat (including the catastrophic failure of the wheat program under Khrushchev in the 1960's) but also as a place where Stalin deported whomever he felt like. Not just individuals but entire races from many countries in which the communist party had control. It was also the place for the Soviets to detonate more than 700 nuclear test bombs over 40 years. The population of this region consists of Kazakh (mostly), Russian, Ukrainian, and German. The cotton fields were supplied water from the Aral Sea via man made canals to Kazakhstan to the north and Uzbekistan to the south. As a direct result, the Aral Sea has been drained and what was once a source for a booming fishing industry for the region is now one of the biggest environmental disasters in history. Towns that thrived on fishing and ports such as Aral City on the northern shore now sit 45 miles from the nearest shoreline of the Aral Sea. The Aral, once the fourth largest lake in the world, has actually divided into two seas and the water has been reduced by two thirds or an area about the size of Ireland.

Below is a picture and replicated armor and weapons of Ablai Khan, a Kazakh leader in the 18th century. He sought to protect and unify the country.

The Kazakh people have suffered tremendous brutality but have shown themselves to be survivors. By the beginning of the 19th century, Russian tsarism had taken hold and eliminated the power of the Khan. Interestingly, the sister city of Kokshetau is Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Below are various items of Kazakh history including minted gold Tenge bills (currency) and the Golden Man, a symbol of the country's strength and independence.

Our guide explains the history of Kokshetau and Kazakhstan.

The Kazakhstan story is one of tragedy, struggle, and recent triumph with the country's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. They will host the Asian games in 2011 and make a bid for the Winter Olympic Games in 2014.

More Paperwork - This time THEY had to do it!

Throughout the adoption process it seems the paperwork never ends. Today, however, it wasn't us doing the work. We left this morning at 0930 to head to the "registry" building. It seems that this is where all local government paperwork is done. I guess you could equate it to our government buildings where ID cards, property taxes, licenses, etc are taken care of. We went there to sign for and pick up Kathryn's birth certificate and paper saying our adoption is complete! They had to do all the work - we just signed for it! Everything here is still done in ledger books and on paper - no electronic document files. Not sure which way is better, really.

Next we went to another part of the building to apply for her Kazakh passport. After a good 30 minutes of waiting for our interpreter and coordinator to work with the officials on the paperwork, they let us know of a new requirement. They wanted to see Kathryn and compare her to her passport picture. Inna and I went back to the cottage, where Luba was watching Kathryn, and quickly put her in the snowsuit and headed back. We walked inside, let them see her and then left. Apparently this has not happened in the past, but it does make sense. It was really no big deal!


On our way back to the cottage, Dave ran into the Green Market for a few veggies and bread while Kathryn and I sat in the car. Kathryn decided it was a great time for a little shut eye. While she slept, I enjoyed the view outside the car of the snowfall! It really is pretty to watch the snow coming down. It was coming down so hard, it looked like rain.



Kathryn smiling at Luba

The temperature is going to warm up slightly over the next few days. We are hoping for sunshine when we get to Almaty. We will want to get out and see some of the city while we are there. I think yesterday was the coldest day so far. It was in the teens with a wind chill in the single digits - as low as -1 degree in the am. I think we are surviving ok, considering we've lived in Florida for 20 years.

Introducing Kathryn

Kathryn was officially welcomed into our family on October 23, 2008- now making us a family of 6! We are so proud of each of our children and cannot wait for her big brothers, Michael, Daniel and Joseph to meet their little sister, Kathryn.













This photo is from our first visit with Kathryn. In the picture is Dr. Victoria and the Ministry of Education Representative. This was a wonderful day!




The many faces of Kathryn.

As of yesterday, Friday, November 7th, 2008, our fifteen day waiting period was completed. The order of the judge to make us Kathryn's parents has now been executed! We were very relieved last night to have this milestone behind us. We will go on Tuesday and apply for her birth certificate that will name us as her parents and for her Kaz passport that will allow her to leave the country. As soon as our plane lands in Orlando on Nov. 20th she will be a US citizen and will be a dual citizen of both the United States and Kazakhstan until she is 18.



Us after court and at Children's Hospital to pick up Kathryn with Dr. Victoria






First car ride......First bath at "home"......What a day,Sweet dreams!

Three Twos for Today

Today we celebrate the Twos.
1. TWO weeks ago we welcomed Kathryn as a new member of the Ryan family. It seems like she has been a part of our family for so much longer. Tomorrow is the end of our 15 day appeal period. She is doing amazing things every day. It’s incredible to watch her now as compared to when we met her 6 weeks ago! At that time, she was barely holding onto anything. Now, she tries to hold her bottle, grabs at my shirt and reaches for her toys.

2. Kathryn now has TWO teeth! Sometime between Oct 6th and Oct 23rd she got her first tooth. Yes, that was the time that we were not here with her. However, her second tooth came in yesterday on November 5th. She had a few rough nights, so we thought it might be on its way. Last night before putting her to bed, I looked in her mouth and there it was just peeking through the gums!

3. TWO weeks from today we will be home!! We leave and get home on November 20th. We are so excited to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family and friends and to have Kathryn home. We leave for Almaty on Nov 16th and take Kathryn on her first plane trip. It is only about a 2 hour flight from Astana to Almaty. This will be a good warm up for the long 8 hour flights Xs 2 to get us back to Orlando.

We are thankful to be celebrating these milestones in our trip. As you have read, it has been a very educational trip as well. Most of all, we believe this time with Kathryn has been very valuable to develop our parental bond with her. She definitely seems to know that we are now her parents and the ones who will meet her basic needs. This will make the transition back home so much easier.

Kazakh Culture

During our second stay here in Kokshetau, we have had a chance to get to experience a bit of the Culture/Arts. Makhabbat, one of the interpreters that works for the (town of) Shchuchinsk families, has made it her personal mission to help us experience these things. She doesn't work for us at all, but we met her through one of the other families and we have formed a wonderful friendship. She also loves the fact that Dave practices his Russian with her:-)

On the first night we returned to Kokshetau, I went with Makhabbat, Scott and D'Ann to a dance/music recital at the Performing Arts Center (photos by Scott). The performers ranged from around 5 years old to adults. The boys and girls, men and women danced in beautiful costumes to many different types of Kazakh music. There were several singers and musicians as well. It was a great experience of local arts.

On Saturday Oct 24th, Dave and some of the
other families went to the local Pro Soccer game.
It was more like a Semi-pro or Minor league
type game. Lots of activity and excitement and
cooler weather!

As part of the sharing of culture, Makhabbat asked us to go to her daughter's gymnastics class and share some our Halloween traditions. Of course we agreed. So, I went with LeAnne and we watched about an hour of the practice. It was very intense. The girls were between 6 and 12 years old. The coach was very nice, but also very strict and intense. You could tell the girls had great respect for her and what she was teaching them. The coach was a Russian woman and the children were a mix of Kazakh and Russian. They all attend school at the English immersion school, so they all spoke a little English. After practice was over, we gave them a handout in Russian explaining the history of Halloween that Makhabbat put together. When we told them we were going to show them pictures on the computer of children in costumes, they swarmed around me and the computer. They were so cute and excited. I was able to show them pictures of Michael, Daniel and Joseph in their costumes from last year. They got a kick out of it!! When we were done, we passed out candy and they were definitely like kids in a candy store - including the coach!

That night, Halloween night, we had people over to the cottage for a little Halloween celebration. Not that we ever have a Halloween party at home, but Makhabbat wanted to celebrate the "American" holiday, so we obliged. Several people carved a pumpkin; we roasted the seeds and the Kazakh's dressed up in costumes:-)

Lastly, on Sunday night we had a celebration for one of the families who headed to court on Tuesday for custody of their twin boys.

There were 4 adoptive families along with Makhabbat, Oleg (a driver for families several years ago), Vera (his wife) and their family. Makhabbat arranged to have 3 young ladies come over and play the Dombra, their national instrument. The young ladies were about 18 years old and did a great job. They played traditional Kazakh music for about 45 minutes.
It was a lot of fun and everyone had a wonderful time. We had Borscht, a traditional Russian soup, made with beets, cabbage, meat, and lots of veggies and also ordered the local Pork Shish-kabobs - YUM! For desert we had lots of yummy cookies and cakes. The Kazakhs certainly know how to do the pastries - very delicious but not too sweet.

All of these events have added to the enjoyment of being in Kathryn's birth country and has also helped to keep us busy during this waiting period. We have only posted a few of the photos here and will enjoy showing you all of them when we return home. Kathryn will also enjoy them when she is old enough.