(Maureen's Post)

Today was another warm and beautiful day in Almaty.  We were wondering how Michael would sleep since last night was his first night away from the Baby House.  Well, I'm happy to report that overall he slept pretty well; he stirred a couple of times during the night, but then we would pat his back and he would settle back to sleep.  Michael is a tummy sleeper and sleeps with his rear end sticking up in the air (just like James did).  So sometimes when he stirs while he sleeps we pat him on his behind, too, and he goes back to sleep.  Meanwhile, our sleeping patterns are way off, as expected, with mine being worse than Sean's.  I think we might get back on track with the time change here by tomorrow or Saturday, just in time for us to go home and try to adjust again - ha!

This morning we went to the SOS International Clinic to have Michael's exit medical exam done.  We got his updated measurements this morning, with Michael weighing in at at 9 kg (19.8 lbs.) and measuring at 72.5 cm long (@ 28.5 inches).  The doctor checked out his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.  She also listened to his heart and his lungs - everything was fine.  Surprisingly, he was pretty cooperative during the medical exam and did not keep trying to wiggle away, so it went rather quickly.  He did seem to be flirting with her a little bit, though!  One thing that has changed since we adopted James in 2007 is that the HIV blood test is no longer a requirement for the U.S. Embassy for children under the age of 15; this change occurred sometime in the past year.  So, lucky for Michael that they didn't have to take any blood from him today!  Of course, we already know that lots of bloodwork awaits him once he gets examined by the international adoption clinic at Texas Children's Hospital when we get home.  If I remember correctly, James had to have at least 10 different sets of blood tests done when we came home after adopting him.

Next, we went to the Lufthansa ticket office located on the Hyatt Regency Hotel property.  We purchased a lap ticket for Michael for our flights home and inquired about getting bulkhead seating, which allows for us to get bassinets for the children during the flight.  Fortunately, there was enough open seats left on our flights home that the ticket agent was able to arrange bulkhead seating for both flights, from Almaty to Frankfurt and from Frankfurt to Houston.  I think that will help a whole lot, even if Michael doesn't use the bassinet that much.  The extra legroom in the bulkhead row, alone, is a big plus.  Additionally, at least one of us has an aisle seat on both flights, so that will help for those times when we have to get up and walk around the cabin when he gets restless.   Another nice thing is that the Chinns will be on our same flight from Almaty to Frankfurt, and we're all sitting together on the bulkhead row.  I can only imagine the kind of racket Michael and Aidyn might be stirring up on that flight!

Once we left the Lufthansa ticket office we went to American Bar and Grill with the Chinns for lunch.  The menu resembles one you would see at TGIFridays.  Sean and I had eaten here before during our adoption for James with our previous travel partners, the Mechems and Jill Sullivan.  I remember Jodi Mechem and I having an interesting encounter with a lady when we were there last time changing our boys' diapers in the restroom.  Anyway, the four of us all ordered burgers with french fries, but I didn't think to get a milkshake like I did last time we were here (I remember it being very creamy and delicious).  It's not like I would have had room in my stomach, anyway - the hamburgers were huge!  Sean forgot to take a picture of his "Texas Burger."  I think our family and friends would have been interested to see this burger, as it included a fried egg.  We've seen some other dishes with interesting names and descriptions at the restaurants in general, both here and in Karaganda.  I have no idea how they come up with the names of some of the dishes out here.

With our sleeping schedule still off and Michael's Baby House schedule also way off, we decided to just make a quick stop at the Ramstore and then head back to the apartment for naps and to do a load of laundry.  Tomorrow's agenda includes us meeting at the sisters' office mid-afternoon for paperwork before our interview with the U.S. Embassy for Michael's visa.  Actually, Sasha will be picking us up a little bit earlier before our meeting with the sisters so that we could stop by Panfilov Park, which has war memorials, as well as Zenkov Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox cathedral.  Last time we visited this park was in the wintertime back in 2007.  It will be nice to see the park again during this time of year, when everything is green.

So that concludes our post for today.  Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Last but not least, here's a picture of Michael holding a photo of my parents, who he will know as "Lolo and Lola" (means Grandfather and Grandmother in tagalog (filipino).  They are celebrating a special day today!

Congratulations and Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary!

We love you and will see you soon!

Thanks for stopping by, Everyone! 

Paka paka and love to all!