Day 13 and 14

Day 13 - Sunday

Monte is watching birds fight on the National Geographic channel. I am watching some old TV episodes on Hulu. Monte asks me, “What are you doing?” about every 45 minutes. It is a slow day in Almaty but I think we need this day to reflect and rest after 2 weeks of continuous activity and high emotions.

We think about Nina Deanna and what things will be like when we get her home. We’re not experts in child development but it seems her development is more like a 4 month old. We knew from our training that children develop at a slower rate when institutionalized. The rule of thumb is that the children are 1 month behind for every 3 months in the institution. Nina seems right on target with this estimate.

She has been in a 7-month slumber and we signs of her awakening each day. More smiles, more activity. We look forward to more progress this week. My belief and prayer is that she advances quickly once she gets home with us.

Day 14 - Monday

Now it is Monday and we start the last week of our first trip. Four more days of bonding with Nina before heading home to await our court date. Elmo makes his triumphant return to the baby house today. The temporary ban has been lifted and he behaves himself.

There is not a lot of excitement but Nina is in a pretty good mood today. This is the first time she has picked something up on her own and made use of it. It is the teething ring which is coming in handy at this stage.

I caught some of this on video. When she is tearing through the house with Nick and Natalie, we will think back to these simpler times.





As usual, Nina tolerates her exercise and our silly talk for about an hour before she is ready to rest again. Mommy feels really nice. Daddy needs to give the camera a break.



That's better.



After her nap and a bottle, we head back to the apartment for the day. It is cold and rainy. It looks like our routine of heading out for our daily meal is in jeopardy. I have crackers and ramen noodles. Monte has tea and peanut butter bread. It is feeling like the first few days all over again. We will try to head out a little later. In the meantime, we will sit here and ponder the significance of our paper towels that have flowers and weightlifters on them.

His and hers? Fresh and strong? Hmmm.

A few pics from our stroll

Old-school scallfolding.


Jennifer Lopez knows no borders.

Bonus Clip for Aunt Aimee - Day 10 Exercising

Day 12 - Saturday

Saturday is exercise day at the baby house, at least for our Nina. Yesterday was a little slow with few smiles so we picked up the activity today. Nina is in a much better mood and responds well. She is very happy with lots of smiles. The foot game is always a big hit.

Nina rolls over from her back to her stomach without too much trouble. Today we work on rolling from her stomach to her back.



She makes it 3 or 4 times with a little help. She tries so hard today and does great before wearing herself out. After a strong hour and 15 minutes, it is time for some rest.



We have the opportunity to see a brand new baby enter the orphanage today. She is so tiny and all wrapped up. We cannot get a snapshot of the new baby, but manage to get a snapshot of Saturday's nursing crew. They are all very kind to us.

We also see Nina's baby room with 10 cribs and a changing table in the middle. Nina is in crib #4. We will try to sneak a picture in future visit. We don’t get to see Nina tomorrow, but will return on Monday for our final week of bonding.

Monte and I venture out to Mama Mia’s. We give the sign a 1 out of 4 stars. We almost miss it. But we give the food 4 out of 4! It is great.


Check out the drink sizes. Kazakhstan needs to adopt the advanced concepts of supersizing and refills.

Across the street is the local gambling establishment.


What happens in Almaty Grand, stays in Almaty Grand.

Since we won’t see Nina tomorrow, we will take a break and see you again on Monday. For those hungry for more information on Kazakhstan (and who isn't?), here is some additional info and a few pictures of the World War II memorial at Panfilov Park and the cathedral we have been visiting.

The World War II sculpture is in memory of 28 soldiers from Almaty who died in battle against Nazi tanks near Moscow in 1941. Kazakhstan was a republic of the Soviet Union during World War II. Approximately 150,000 Kazakhs died in the war, part of the 25 million casualties suffered by the Soviet Union. In comparison, the United States had approximately 400,000 casualties, or ~ 2% of the Soviet casualties.

The cathedral is the Ascension Cathedral, or Zenkov Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church is similar to the Roman Catholic Church as far as the worship service that we saw. They are in agreement on the important stuff (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). However, the Orthodox Church split from the Catholic Church one thousand years ago. The Orthodox (e.g. Russian and Greek) do not accept the supremacy of the Pope as the only successor of Peter. This is the issue for the split.

The cathedral was completed in 1907. It is made of wood, constructed without nails, survived the devastating 1910 earthquake, and is the second tallest wooden building in the world.
In the anti-religious communist era, the cathedral was almost torn down. However, it was preserved as a museum, and opened again as a place of worship after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Day 11 - Goldtooth's Return and Cholepan Sr.

World War II Memorial

Our interpreter Anna joins us again today, and I catch Adil with his Terminator shades on.

Nina is a little tired today and doesn’t last long before drifting off to sleep. Before that happens though, Monte gets a chance to change the first of many poopy diapers to come. After that excitement, Nina gets another outfit. It is amazing how she and Monte coordinate each day.

Baby laughs during exercise.

It is a low-key day with Nina but we get a couple of jewels at the end of the day at the baby house. First, I am so happy to see who enters to get Nina at the end of our session. It is our friend Goldtooth! I was totally prepared for this moment, well almost. Nina gets excited when she sees her, and we have a precious moment where Goldtooth talks to Nina. Of course, we get a glimse of Goldtooth’s smile as well. I promise to find out her real name! In the meantime, here is the video. Please be warned that this clip is not without some technical difficulties that are as yet unresolved. You may want to tilt your head before hitting play. It is still cute though.

The second jewel is stumbled upon completely by accident. We are leaving the baby house and the nurses ask if we can give some lady a ride. We don’t know who she is or where she is going but assume Adil and Anna will figure it out. We say yes.

I decide to secretly snap a few photos of her with my iPhone for fun as she sits next to me in the back seat. She elbows me in the side after the 2^nd "snap." We ask Anna to find out who this mystery rider is. Her name is Cholepan! She is a nurse at the baby house who needs to go to town for some business. We say, “Cholepan? That is the baby we met.” The nurse reveals that she is the one who picked up baby Cholepan five days after birth. Since she only had a last name, the nurses named her. I guess Cholepan had naming rights and decided to named her after herself! Here’s the pre-elbow shot of Cholepan Sr.

Through Anna, we ask about Deanna and how she got her name. Cholepan Sr. confirmed Deanna was not her given name from the birth mother. She arrived to the baby house with only a last name. Since she looked more European than Asian, the nurses decided to give her the name Deanna. She is affectionately called Princess or Lady D by the staff. Cholepan said Nina Deanna is a beautiful name. She approves.

We arrive back at the apartment and head out to lunch and the local park. We visit the cathedral again and light a candle for my dad who would have been 72 years old earlier this week. I miss him very much. There are a lot of people in the cathedral today. It is beautiful.

Moving through the park, we visit the World War II Memorial (picture at top). We see the eternal flame. This place is the place to go for wedding pictures. We see at least six different wedding parties. Nothing says “party” like the eternal flame at a war memorial.

That’s all we have for today. We see Nina again tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some fun (?) facts and observations including some pictures from around town and comments on Borat.

There are approximately 15 million people in Kazakhstan. Most are of local Kazakh origin (nomadic tribes of Turkish/Mongolian descent) with a large minority Russian/Ukrainian. There are small pockets of Koreans, Jews, Kurds, and other people groups. Kazakh and Russian are spoken. English is spoken by the younger people in varying degree as it is a requirement in schools. The Muslim/Christian mix is 50/50. The government encourages high religious tolerance and it seems to be working here.

The Soviets seriously damaged parts of the country during the Cold War. Nuclear bombs were tested in parts of Kazakhstan without regard to the people living there! Also, in an effort to promote agriculture, the Soviets re-directed rivers that fed the Aral Sea to irrigate the desert. They attempted to grow cotton and other crops and didn't seem to mind that they killed the 4th largest lake in the world and the entire industry and communities surrounding it. The Aral Sea is considered a major ecological disaster and has been sinking since the start of the Soviet program in the 60's. Here is a photo of the mess (I didn't take this one :).

Pringles are $5 per can. Diet Coke is $1.00 for a 1 liter bottle. Bottled water is $0.10 for 2 liters. Some stuff is really cheap. Some stuff is really expensive. Overall we would say things are typically slightly less expensive when compared to home.

Most women wear beautiful fur coats that are either all fur or have fur trim. They are surprised that Americans do not wear fur. We eat animals, don't we? What is the problem with wearing their fur? It doesn't register with them. Here is a picture of two typical Kazakh women crossing the street. Not sure about the dude we are following.

What are the most popular vehicles in Almaty? Based on what we can see, the top 3 are Toyota, Toyota, and Toyota. The Toyota Land Cruiser SUV is very popular now that we are staying in the fancy part of town. We see very few Hondas, but many Mercedes, Subarus, and Mitsubishi. Kia is also emerging as the South Korean's have a presence here.

Twenty years ago in the Soviet era, all Kazakhs were driving Russian pieces of junk (the Russians never figured out how to make a car).The Kazakhstan people caught on after the fall and it is all about the imports today. Sometimes you see the old Russian vehicles limping along, especially in the country.

But in the city, it is all about the luxury and we see many high end Lexus SUVs, Mercedes, BMWs, ... Haven't seen many American made cars except a few Escalades and Chryslers.

The Kazakh president is posted on the baby house bulletin board, and on many buildings and billboards. He is well-liked and Kazakhstan has prospered under his leadership with 10% econonic growth each year. He maintains a good relationship with Russia and encourages cultural and religious tolerance in his country which is a bit of a melting pot. He is the only president the country has known as it emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

What about Kazakhstan's most famous pseudo-export to the US? What about Borat and his Cultural Learnings of America for Make Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan? I have searched the cities and countryside in my spare time for the birthplace of Borat. Sadly, I have learned that Borat isn't actually from Kazakhstan. He is a half-Jewish actor from England and has never even set foot in Kazakhstan No wonder why he doesn't look anything like the Russian or Kazakh locals. You can imagine my disappointment. I feel like Pee Wee Herman after he was told the Alamo has no basement.

Kazakhs either don't know or care about Borat or think his humor is ridiculous. In any event, their attitide seems to be that any press is good press. He has certainly raised the awareness of little know Kazakhstan in the West. Not sure if that is a good thing for Kazakhstan, but it is what it is.

Lastly for today, here's another trolley racing a BMW for my Uncle T.

Day 10 - The Easy Button

God must have pushed the EASY button for us today. Everything went so smoothly. Traffic parted. The weather was great. Nina Deanna was perfect again. Oh, and we learned that we get to come home from this first trip early! Instead of December 5, we are heading home November 27 which is the end of the bonding period. Our regional coordinator Natalia is trying to expedite our application so we can get the court date as soon as possible. We are praying for a mid-December court date so we can be home from our second trip before Christmas. The end goal of course is to bring Nina home on the third trip in mid-January.

On with the day. I promised an updated picture of our driver Adil and here is the way we most often see him.

He may be reminding you of the neighbor from Home Improvement by now.

Maybe things aren’t so good. It is our last protein bar which has served as our breakfast staple.

In the category of knowing-your-Kazakh-culture, we learned that it is the responsibility of the youngest son to take care of the parents, and he must live with them their entire lives. The older siblings have the opportunity to move out. I don’t think Jomama wants me moving back in though. We should leave the responsibility thing with the firstborn which is a fine US tradition.

In other Kazakh culture news, the parents have the right to claim their son’s firstborn child (their grandchild) as their own son or daughter. Can you imagine the resentment the daughter-in-law must feel giving up her child to her husband’s parents? However, the father has the right to break tradition, and this is exactly what Adil did with his baby girl. He told his parents that he and his wife are keeping their daughter and his parents where ok with it.

Scattered through the city and countryside are monuments to Kazakhstan’s great warriors. We pass this guy daily. He must have drawn the short straw or been off grabbing goats when they were handing out memorial plots. He is 78 km from the city with very little traffic coming his way. Poor lonely dude.

We received independent verification today from USA Today (courtesy of our friend Rob Nabb who tracks such things - picture at top) that goat grabbing is indeed all the rage in Central Asian countries. In the Afghan version, they use a (headless) calf instead of a lamb. But it is the same general idea in Kazakhstan.

Moving on to the reason we are here, we arrive ½ hour early at the baby house as today’s good fortune allowed. We go through the normal routine and decide it is time for some exercise. She could move very little during our earlier visits, but today she is raising and holding up her head much better. She also figures out that her legs can go straight up in the air. She likes learning about these new bodily functions. She is getting stronger and happier each day.


We see some serious movement while listening to Mississippi Queen. Instead of laughing at Toucan like yesterday, today is all about imitating his behavior. This is our first attempt at posting video. Check it out. (Mom, before you panic, you must hit the little arrow on the lower left of the picture for the movie to play - good luck!)

Nina can handle about one hour with us before she is tired and ready for a nap. Daddy has the great idea that she needs to have her new outfit on before the nap. It is a good idea but poor execution. Apparently, he is not very good at putting baby shirts over baby heads. Nina starts waling so much that Nurse Goldtooth comes in to ensure everything is ok. Nina finally calms down with Mommy and Goldtooth tending to her, but gives Daddy the evil eye for about 10 minutes.

Note: no one has actually captured Nurse Goldtooth’s defining feature on film. Fleeting like Sasquatch and more elusive than Nessy, her smile vanishes when cameras are present. But this writer has seen it and is committed to securing the footage before leaving the country

Mommy calms her down; coordinating outfits help. Nina keeps an eye on bad Daddy.

Nina soon gets over it.

Other observations:

Back at the apartment, Monte observes that our shower resembles Austin Powers’ cryogenic chamber prior to the infamous “evacuation phase” at the urinal.

I observe that some (not many) of the things in Kazakhstan are better than in the US. Here is the prime and possibly only example – a miniaturized version of my favorite candy bar. Lots of them in a big inexpensive box.

They are so small they have no calories (or so it seems).

While you ponder these things, we are heading out to dinner. One more video before we go.

Day 9 - Her Name - Nina Deanna

Last night was laundry night in our apartment since we have been here for over a week. We have a washer in our apartment. I think it is big enough for 2 or 3 shirts at a time. Here is Monte doing her best impression of a The Price Is Right model. Note the tiny broom which is the principle cleaning tool here for inside apartments, restaurants, and even sweeping the street.


Also note Monte’s red house slippers which were a gift from Natalia, our Russian regional coordinator. Monte has been clicking her heels together but we are still here.

The dryer is not as advanced as the washer or the broom. Where do we plug this in?

Apparently, dryers have not yet made it to Kazakhstan.

Today we are without our interpreter Anna. She is available via cell phone if we need her and calls twice a day, but we decided to try it on our own today. We have only our driver Adil who speaks no English but knows how to get us where we need to go.

Adil is 21 years old, has a wife and small baby, and lives with his parents. He is Kazakh and Muslim and drives his Nissan Maxima really fast. He has a nice smile and kind spirit. He is shy of the camera but I will get him yet.

Yesterday, we learned from Anna that Adil has even played the national sport of Kazakhstan. Of course, it involves horses and is a bit like polo with a few local twists. There are riders on horses but no sticks and no ball. The substitute for the ball is a dead lamb. The riders try to pick up the carcass and carry it over the goal line while the other riders try to steal the lamb from him. We are told it is great fun for everyone except the lamb.

A more innocent traditional Kazakh game is called Kyz Kuu or “Run Down a Girl.” I was a little concerned to hear about this one when they told me the name. The fellow and girl mount their horses, and the girl takes off at full speed. The object of the game is for the boy to catch the girl within a limited time or distance. If the boy catches the girl, he gets to kiss her. If the boy cannot catch the girl, she uses her whip to hit him for being such a wimp. Adil has never played this game. He says the girls always chase him instead.

The drive is much quieter today without Anna in the car. Monte rests her eyes. She cannot stay awake in a car. On our first date, she fell asleep on the way home so I am used to this. In the city, we are stuck in a traffic jam but get a chance to witness the morning commute. Do they have a maximum seating capacity on this bus?

This one is for my uncle, UT. Here is the Almaty trolley. Made in Russia?

I play Sudoku on my iPhone while Adil speeds through the countryside to make up for time lost in the city. We arrive on time as always. We walk into our room and find a group of residents. I think they are all boys but it is difficult to tell with these haircuts and attire. There are plenty of babies here.

The group is escorted out of the room and our ray of sunshine arrives. It has been tough getting smiles from this little girl. She is very sweet and interested in us. She looks and studies our faces with her big, deep chocolate brown eyes. But she rarely smiles. That’s what makes today so special.

We go through our routine of holding her, stripping her down, massaging her legs, and putting a new outfit on. She does a better job of eating the puffs today and seems to be catching on with this eating thing. She rests on my leg, sucking her two favorite fingers after eating some puffs.

Monte puts her in the jumperoo. Her feet touch the floor but she has no interest or ability to push or jump. However, she likes being up-right, is holding her head up much better now, and touches and spins the ball. Deanna especially likes looking at the flying banana and Toucan above her head. She gets a big kick out of the Toucan as Monte makes it fly around. And all of a sudden, she starts laughing and smiling like we have never seen before.

She lights up the room and warms our hearts. I am sure it is Monte’s love that is bringing her to life. Maybe Deanna is starting to realize that she has a family, that we love her, and someday soon she will have a home. She doesn’t know about Nick and Natalie yet. They will make quite a crew.

We notice she takes a lot longer to drink her bottle than she did the first few days when she ate almost in a panic. She is beginning to relax and take her time eating with Monte holding her. They are very happy together.

All is going well but the big question remains: what is her name? We have decided to keep Deanna as her middle name, and have chosen her first name that is regional and means “little girl” and “pretty eyes” and "full of grace." We have given her the name Nina Deanna Lockwood. We think she will fit in well with Nick, Natalie, and our dog Nala. Natalie has been campaigning for this name so she should be very happy her parents have complied.

After 2 ½ hours in the baby house, we wake Adil from his afternoon nap and head home.

Other notes and FAQ:

- What is her name? What is her name? What is her name? Now you know.

- How is Monte’s wrist? It is better but still sore after typing or lifting anything other than the baby girl.

- Are we in a routine yet? Last week was a mess, but this week is good. Here is the outline:

9:30 a.m. – Adil picks us up
11:00 a.m. – We arrive at baby house
1:30 p.m. – We depart from baby house
3:00 p.m. – We arrive at the apartment and explore the city a bit. We usually go through some grocery or baby stores, and find a restaurant for our one big meal a day.
The rest is a mix of work and minimal sleep.

Monte shops for cleaning supplies. Nesting already?

Rich eats at local coffee house. Tastes like chicken. Thankfully, it is.

- Did we get Hulu to work? Yes, Rob’s Hotspot Shield suggestion solved our regional problem and we can stream TV episodes to our PC now.

- Did we really eat horse or was that a joke? I am sorry to say it was no joke. Horses are a triple-threat in Kazakhstan: transportation, entertainment (see games above), and dinner.

More questions? Comment on our blog or write monte10@charter.net or rich.lockwood@atheros.com. We will do our best to answer.