I brought
cheerios and some baby cookies for her, and she LOVED them.
She was very happy munching away. I need to learn the Kazak
word for "chew" as she just kept putting one cheerio
after the other into her mouth until it was stuffed full!
I wanted to give her a bottle, but brilliant newbie mom that
I am, remembered the bottle but forgot the liners! Luckily
a friend gave me an Avent sippy cup, which I remembered! She
used it beautifully, and it really saved me.
There's
another couple here with me-- Carma & Michael Hodges from
Utah-- adopting a two year old boy and almost three year old
girl through the same agency. They let us give the kids lunch
and they gobbled it all down. Alison ate pretty slowly, but
very deliberately (I think her appetizers of cookies and cheerios
filled her up a bit!). It was a three-course meal of noodle
soup, kasha (a sort of cereal), a big hunk of bread, and compote
(which is like a fruit tea that they all LOVED!) I got the
feeling that they don't usually get that much food, but since
we were there, they loaded them up!
After
lunch I had the happiest, funniest, cutest little girl ever.
She wanted to play games, explore my face and mouth with her
fingers, and walk around the room with me holding her hands
up. I have a feeling she'll be running by the time we get
home! She stands and walks now, but only holding on to someone's
hands.
It's 11:00
AM here on Thursday morning (Thanksgiving Day) and I'm being
picked up at 1:00 PM to GO TO COURT! I'll try to post tonight
about how it went, as tonight will be my last night alone.
Since court is at 3:00 PM, the decision usually comes down
too late to get the kids the same day. They also have a little
ceremony at the orphanage with champagne and chocolates (for
the workers), and Alison needs to be able to say goodbye to
her caregivers. So, I'll get her tomorrow... forever!
Though
they are very poor and don’t have much to work with,
I’ve found the orphanage to be very clean and the workers
extremely caring towards the kids! The orphanage is seriously
run-down and in need of a lot of repairs (don't even ask me
about the bathroom....I’m trying to find out if I can
donate a new toilet) but it looks like they are doing some
work. I know Focus on Children (my adoption agency) has given
a lot of humanitarian aid and is helping them get the building
in better shape. I gave them $200 yesterday for diesel fuel,
and the Hodges bought them tables and chairs for the kids
to sit at during mealtime. Carla Ondrasik (wife of Five for
Fighting's brilliant John Ondrasik) collected donations before
I left the states, and through her generosity I was able to
bring over a huge duffel bag of things for the orphanage.
They LOVED it!
There's
so much more to tell. Almaty is an interesting city, and some
parts of Kazakhstan are quite beautiful! The ride to the orphanage
is about 90 minutes each way, and we drive along a magnificent
mountain range. On the other side
of the
mountains is another county that was also part of the former
Soviet Union,
Uzbekistan.
The mountains are snow covered, and yesterday I tried to shoot
video in the car on the way out. I hope it shows just how
beautiful it is... I want Alison to know that the country
she was born in has many wonderful features.
Unfortunately
the economy forces many women to give up their children, as
Alison's birth mother did. I found out she was left on a doorstep
when she was approximately a month old. They estimated that
she was born in early May 1999, so they named her Maigul (meaning
May Flower). Since they don't know her exact birth date, I
was asked what date I'd like on her birth certificate. I decided
May 3, which was my mother's birthday. As for her name, I
decided to name her Alison Paige (Alison, for my father Allan;
Paige, for my mother Patricia).
This is
going on very long... and I have to go back to the apartment
to get ready for court! Happy Thanksgiving! Since I have court
today, this holiday will, for me, truly take on the meaning
it's meant to have!
11/23/00
Evening
It truly
is Thanksgiving, and from now on this holiday will be the
most special one for me. Today was my court date to officially
adopt my daughter. The judge actually allowed us to videotape
the hearing, so Alison will be able to see it when she's old
enough to understand!
The entire
proceeding only took about 10 minutes. First, the judge asked
me why I was there. I had to respond by saying I wanted to
request that the court allow me to adopt the child known as
Maigul. The prosecutor asked many questions: why did I want
to adopt, why specifically from Kazakhstan, why this child,
questions about my income, my housing situation, and many
others that I can't even remember. It will be interesting
to watch the video and experience it again. Then the orphanage
director was asked some questions, mainly about Maigul's background
and health history. When the director was through, a woman
from the Education Department (who basically acts as the child's
advocate in the court) was asked her recommendation. She said
she thought I'd be a wonderful mother and that Maigul would
have a great life with me. Then the prosecutor asked me more
questions about how I would deal with any potential health
issues that might arise with Alison (Maigul), and if I was
aware!
of her
background and diagnoses.
I was
asked to make a final statement to the court. I'm not sure
exactly what I said, but I did include something about today
being the American holiday known as Thanksgiving, and being
granted this adoption today would make this holiday take on
a whole new meaning for me. I also promised I'd give her a
wonderful life and love her forever! (It was during this little
speech that I lost it... I was able to hold back the tears
until that moment.) The prosecutor said that he approved the
adoption, but would not grant a "court of immediate action".
This means that we must follow Kazak law that states that
the decree isn't official until 15 days have passed, unfortunately,
delaying my departure a bit.
The judge
then declared that he would grant the adoption! Galiya, the
most amazing woman that works for my agency, hugged me as
did the orphanage director and the woman from the Education
Department. I asked the judge if he'd take a picture with
me. He reluctantly agreed... we were joined by Galiya, the
prosecutor and the assistant prosecutor.
The Hodges
had their court date right after mine and were granted the
adoption of the two children they came for. It was a very
happy day. We celebrated with a dinner at a Chinese restaurant
(since Kazakhstan borders on China, I thought it would be
good... and it was!) It was a long day, and we didn't get
to go to the orphanage today.... but we will tomorrow!
I'll be
picked up at 11:00 AM to go to the orphanage to take Alison
out of there for good. I'll have to bring clothes for her
to wear, as she'll come to me with nothing. I will ask for
something of hers from the orphanage as a keepsake, though
I have no idea what they'll give me. I have a questionnaire
that I gave to her caretakers to fill out asking everything
from her eating habits and nap times to her likes and dislikes.
Hopefully they'll give that to me tomorrow along with her
complete medical file.
Luckily
I've found a pediatrician in LA who speaks (and reads) Russian,
that will be able to understand her history. This will be
my last night as a childless woman. Tomorrow I get my daughter!
I guess I'd better try to get some good sleep tonight... I
may not have a full night's sleep for some time to come!
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 1
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 2
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 3
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 4
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 5
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 6
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 7
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 8
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 9
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 10
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 11
Alison's
Journey Home: An Adoption Story - Part 12
About
The Author
Nicole
Sandler is the owner/producer of Legacy Video Productions,
specializing in producing adoption stories. You can see Alison's
Journey Home, the video at www.legacyvideoproductions.com.
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