Becoming the 4 McCaffery's

We've created this webpage for our family, friends, and future adoptive families to follow us in our adoption journey to Kazakhstan to become a family of 4. Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy it!!

Monday, May 08, 2006

Monday May 8th

Although I dread the morning, I love hearing Sam’s sweet voice whispering, “Mama” each day. This morning we had breakfast and then headed out to the trash park prior to visiting the grocery store and video store for some batteries for the Leap Pad. The good news is that I was able to buy 4 new AA batteries, which have gone up 40 tenge a battery since last week. The bad news is I need a Phillips screwdriver to open up the battery case. I’ve tried a fork, a spoon, a butter and steak knife and have had no luck. I’m hoping one of the other American families may have a Swiss Army knife with them because if we lose Leap Pad, Sam will be quite bummed. Leap Pad has been a great learning tool for both of our boys and a must for anyone adopting a toddler. Sam has made a new friend at the grocery store as we seem to always have the same check-out person and she and Sam have cute mini conversations in broken English and Russian.

While walking to the trash park we noticed that the main drag, Blvd Mira, was closed for some sort of giant running/walking race that will be taking part sometime today. Tomorrow is another national holiday, so perhaps it’s in relation to that, I have no clue. All I know is that it was nice to walk down the street without the heavy smell of exhaust and enjoy the blue sky and sunshine among the blooming trees. Sam has become more brave when riding playground toys and wishes to often go higher or faster. His English is also improving to 3 or 4 word phrases. He also understands much more complex phrases and sentences. For example, I can ask him to put away my pillow on my bed and he can do it, or I’ll ask him to put the bag of groceries on the table in the kitchen and can do that as well. It’s quite amazing to watch his level of comprehension improve daily as well as his overall disposition. Sam still loves Spiderman and I draw Spidy often on the Magna Doodle. He also loves to wear the Spiderman underwear I brought for he and Ian and sing, “Spiderman, Spiderman, spins his web because he can, oh yeah, we love Spiderman.” It’s hilarious!!

This afternoon we attended an informal birthday party for Karina, who turned 9. She will be living with the Huntington Family of Winchester, MA, and will become their 4th child. She seemed quite pleased with her simple gifts and much more social than when I first met her at the pancake party. Their apartment is tres chic compared to our Ghetto Fabulous home away from home. After we had cake and ice cream we then headed out on our long walk to Hotel Cosmonaut to visit the Brewers. The walk took us about 45 minutes through the park and many people seemed to be off work and getting ready for tomorrow’s national holiday celebrating their liberation from Germany while part of the USSR and their “independence from the USSR.” All of the American families plan on meeting as a group tomorrow morning to sit and watch the parade. Just look for the baseball caps and the women not in stillettos with blue jean and that's where will be. Hopefully the weather will be nice! While at the hotel Sam was a saint and a stud. He was very polite and very loving to his Mama; giving kisses to me just for fun. He also asked to kiss their daughter Reagan, 3 times. She finally gave in and let him kiss her hand. It was too funny. It’s was about 1845 by the time we left the hotel and I didn’t want to 1) walk through “Gorky Park” alone and 2) make Sir Chubby walk another 45 minutes as I knew we still had to get through dinner and bedtime, so we took the bus back home, or better put, a jacked-out van. It was all of 25 cents and a pleasant ride, for me, but Sam was petrified. As I put him into the van a kind women held on to him as I hopped on and he lost it. He cried for about 5 minutes and then was fine. Poor kid!! We then came home had dinner, a bath, a story and then night-night. Now I can start a “fluff” novel Anjanette gave me so I don’t have to play scrabble against myself or solitaire until I fall asleep at night.

Funny notes about Sam: he is the gassiest child I have ever seen or better put heard. We need to buy stock in Beano now!! That being said, he always says, excuse me, which is hilarious when you’re in a 12x12 room with 8 people and he has said excuse me a mere 10x in 5 minutes!! He can not sound out the letter H to save his life, but his English is much better than my Russian so I should hush up on that one. Whenever I ask him to put on his shoes, he always brings me mine. Too sweet!! Unlike Ian, he loves getting his hair rinsed in the bath. I can pour the water right over him and not only does he not cry, he laughs and giggles away regardless if the soap has entered his eyes or not.

Thanks to the big man upstairs for giving us two wonderful boys to enhance our lives and the world. Today’s photo are Reagan and Sam in the Turkish Bath and Sam walking through the park with a stick looking like the All-American Boy that he is and will become!!! PS. Special kudos to my dear friend Beth who keeps me laughing and smiling a mere 5 or 6000 miles away by her daily phone calls. Your friendship and phone calls really enhance my day to day existence and life. Merci beaucoup!!

pictures won'tost will try again later

1 Comments:

Blogger Janiece said...

Just got back and the first thing I did was check websites. Sounds like everything is going as well as can be expected. I'm so glad you and Ang are there at the same time and have each other. I'm going back to read more and catch up!
Janiece

3:58 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home