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.