Touch down! and some blood shed

It happened!!!! Baby Aigerim is in the happy little arms of her mother and
grandmother, and the business is proceeding appropriately.

We enjoyed our wait on the green leather couches in VIP Customs last night, which, up
until we arrived at Hotel Almaty an hour later was the nicest place I'd ever stayed in Almaty.

Lola and Leonid met us at the airport, and we watched as they did something not even my mom would do (maybe): they took a loaded baggage cart down a rainslicked marble ramp. This ramp isn't sloped like a ramp. It's sloped like a decorative arch. The cart, Lola and Leonid (and the baggage) made it halfway to the parked car before anyone had to push again.

The hotel -- MITCH!!!! You wouldn't believe it. Ahh.

Shades of the last time we flew from Frankfurt to Almaty, the night before we flew to Karaganda to meet the babies. Between the road buzz and the immensity of the situation, I did not sleep either night. I am in the internet center in the hotel because there are two Marie Den Hartogs sacked out in the room right now. I wish I could load photos. Maybe I will ask later.

They are up there, unsupervised, because I had to come back down to the lobby and fill out some applications for Aigerim's US visa. These aren't the most detailed documents in the world, her name, my name, our address in the US covers about 50% of the information you have to write. Fine with me. Lola told me what to write where and when, and wrote Aigerim's name in Cyrillic when needed - the first time. Then I copied it, and I'm sure it looks like Cyrillic written by a cave man.

Now she has all the documents she needs from me to submit the packet at the US Embassy. One more report is necessary, the medical report including the new HIV test result. We went to the SOS clinic this morning - Nugget is 7.24 kg, 64cm long - Mitch can translate, something like 15 pounds and 24 inches? Healthy too :)

Continuing in reverse chronological sequence, there was the moment of reunion!!!! Mom and I ate breakfast in the buffet with waiters with vests and tables with cloths and gilt decorated columns and giant spreads of food. Oh Mitch, you should be here. You deserve a good Almaty experience..

We knew from Lola that Aigerim's train would arrive at 7:30am, and Lola said to allow a 1 - 1.5
hours for Leonid to get to our hotel from the station, due to rush hour. So Mom and I popped out of bed long before the alarm went off and went down to breakfast at 7:30. At 8:15 we headed back up to the room, planning to get out the video camera and the other cameras and be all ready when the Star arrived! Flashbulbs popping! All we would have needed was a red carpet, which, well, the entryway here has. With bellman who really carry luggage and open car doors. Come to think of it, we came in to the front of this hotel, not the garbage can route of the other...never mind.

Mom and I are racing for the elevators, after a delay caused by her thinking I was still drinking my tea and my thinking she was still drinking her coffee, and Mom asks if she can change money now, the valut (exchange) is open. I say, no no no we have to get our camera's, she'll be here any -

Leonid rushes over to intercept us at the elevators, and we turn to follow his pointing arm.

There she was.

Bundled like an overstuffed animal, grinning, tongue out, laughing, eyes sparkling, it was HER.

We cooed and hugged and laughed and kissed. Urmilla (?) the caregiver who brought her showed me her documents, her snowsuit, and told me she had just eaten at 7 o'clock. She said alot more, I wish we had videoed it to interpret later but we had no video capability. Mom had the old faithful film camera, and we took turns taking pictures among Urmilla, Aigerim, Leonid, Mom and me.

She was in GREAT spirits. I'd forgotten how bouyant that little girl is. We went up to the room,
played on the floor, and enjoyed her babbling - she babbles, now, Mitch!! Since we had to go the clinic at 10:15, we laid down for a short nap. SHe protested over being laid on her back, but then I laid on the bed next to her crib and she just explored and talked herself to sleep.


We fixed her 10 bottle before we woke her up. From my experience in Karaganda, I wacked open truck-sized holes in the nipples. Note to self: formula flows much more easily than kefir. We'll be switching nipples soon.

The sterilizer pooped out last night, blinking on and off, just like my AA recharger did in Peru. I am doomed about electronics and travel. It is wattage, amperage, voltage? You tell me.


We may have set some new kind of record. Every Kaz story includes being told that the child is not dressed warmly enough. We cooked the little potato this morning. She was soaking wet
and rash red by the time we got to the doctors. She was happy to have some layers removed. I think the ergo baby carrier counts as another layer, since it holds heat between us and around her, as well.

So far, so good. We also got her Lufthansa ticket sorted out. All that remains is the Embassy interview at 3pm on Friday.

The stick for the blood drawing did not sit well. I saw what real tears look like. Which means I at least stand a chance of knowing when someone is faking it. It wasn't great to see her cry. The pinprick was fast, and the nurse and the phlebotomist were both trying to reassure her and sympathize wtih her and they did their jobs fast and as painlessly as they knew how. I appreciated that. Nugget may not have. Poor thing. The smile took a whole two minutes to come back :)

It is 2:00 now so I must go emulate some kind of feeding. Mitch can perhaps speculate aloud about what the nannies fed the babies at the 2:00 feeding. I think I should also feed Mom since we haven't had anything since breakfast.

Wish I could post pictures, will ask later.

Love ya all
Bobi