What November means to me......

Seems not too many people are too fond of the month of November....if 'August is supposed to a wicked month' November,  in our part of the world is deemed 'dreary, precursor to winter, short evenings, rainfall, lowered temperatures, and in more recent years  frost, ice and flooding....

However, in some parts of the world November is 'Adoption Awareness Month' where people advocate for children (over 147,000,000) in need of homes and someone to love and care for them).. I am full of admiration for adoptive parents who, on bringing home their child/children work tirelessly to 'give something back' to work for 'those who are left behind'...Two such parents are Kim and Stacey who, on returning with their babies in 2007 set up an organisation called www.twoheartsforhope.org/ a nonprofit organisation that has undertaken many projects to help the children of Kazakhstan and now work in Russia also. 

Busy mothers making a huge difference....I often ask myself how do they do it when some of us struggle to fit just the ordinary things into our day, work, homework, dinner, bedtimes etc ...As you know since we took our first eager steps down the road to adoption it has become very dear to my heart... I love the community we have become part of, online and in real life. I love the other families that were part of our trips ot Kazakhstan, firstly in 2003 and then again in 2006/7... I love to continue educating myself about adoption and to be aware of how the undisputed trauma of adoption has impacted on our children so that I will be the best I can be in their healing.....I want to stay aware so that someday maybe I will be one of those mothers who is making a difference in the lives of some of those 147,000,000 children who may never know the love of a family.... In the meantime I can suport the work done by organisations like 'Two Hearts for Hope' in whatever small way I can... I can continue to do the little things to support the projects like purchase the annual 'Cherished Children of Kazakhstan' calendars of which 100% of the proceeds will go to the various projects organised to help the children in the babyhouses and childrens homes in Kazakhstan...

Someday I hope to be able to take part in one of their mission trips to Kaz, and I have in mind someone who I think feels exactly as I do so maybe I can persuade her to travel with me!!!! Do you know who you are???

For many years November to me meant another year older...exciting and eagerly anticipated when I was younger...nowadays not so much!!!! In 2006 it meant spending it in another country and being handed the 'best birthday present' I could wish for...... a small 14lb package, 11 months, blonde haired blue eyed son... November 2006 meant excitement at being back in Kazakshtan, our daughter's homeland... it meant huge fear and trepidation as we 'travelled blind' on our second adoption and for someone who relished the relative security of 'bonding pre-travel' through loving our daughter's photo..... I did not do well on the 'not knowing' who our next child would be...It meant a few harrowing days of attempting with very poor internet access to get an international adoption doctor to review a medical and a further few harrowing days after a diagnosis of 'failure to thrive' 'query cystic fibrosis' before we  I :) accepted the director's opinion that all he needed was to be brought home and fed 'lots of porridge'!!!

Despite departing for Ust-Kamenogorsk in October 2006, bonding through November 2006 and into December, through Christmas and welcoming in the New year 2007...despite watching other families arrive behind us and leave before our group... despite waiting for a passport that looked uncertain ever to arrive...despite watching reruns over and over on National Geographic, the one english channel in Ust (which frighteningly meant watching programmes of past air disasters) we managed many laughs in our little group of 3 families..... Our standing joke about our situation was when we renamed the Irytsh Hotel the Hotel California.. as in 'You can check out anytime you like ....but you can never leave...'

At times on our journey we felt that we would never be allowed leave but..eventually we did... and it is this month mostly that we relive that time, we laugh at many of the things that happened, still get annoyed at how we were treated by some of the in-country staff but ultimately three little boys came home eventually in January 2007, all turning 6 around this time......and this summer we plan to organise to all meet.....along with another special family we met while there....

Again it was 'the road less travelled'....but one I wouldn't have missed for the world in bringing home this little guy...

Our first official day of bonding.....look at that sad little face....

But one day later, true to character his natural laidback little self was coming to the fore!

These two guys hit it off rightaway......While I did the worrying Declan, also true to character was convinced all was right, ... so it was definitely a case of 'Like Father, Like Son'.....

He embraced all parental duties...and to this day he is still trying to 'fatten him up'

 What a tiny little boy he was! Unlike his sister he never went off his food!!

And boy, could he empty the 'Powerpuff Girls mug' of kefir in record time!

This remains one of my favourite pictures.....Declan's hand serving to show how tiny Alex was at one year old....

This photo, taken exactly 5 years ago today show that the November weather in Ust-Kamenogorsk was sunny and warm enough for short sleeves, except for any Kaz babies who must be covered in many layers before being allowed outside, even on the warm days.....

'I'm a celebrity...Get me out of here...'

 Fast forward 5 years and the little baby is no longer.... Our soon to be 6 year old, while a lot more assertive is still a laidback little guy who would watch TV all day if he was allowed but will quite happily spend ages playing with Lego or Geomeg if not.....

 He no longer allows himself to be bossed about by his sister, will stand up for himself when necessary, and has even been know to favour aggression over assertion and has still to learn that 'biting your sister will always earn you a timeout', no matter what the provocation!!

Alex is very excited about MY birthday this year.. and asks me every morning first thing ..'Is it your birthday today Mom?'  His real excitement stems from the fact that one week after my birthday it will be his......so if he can just get mine out of the way.........

  This is the way we find Alex most nights, sometimes the light will be off but more often than not he falls asleep, book in his hand...... and that is where he ceases to be like his father and becomes more like his mother!!!