Our Apartment

We have an apartment. Yesterday after the orphanage, we went to look at 3 places. Ayjan (our translator) thought it'd be best for Owen not to go along, so the driver, Dima said he'd wait with Owen in the van. Owen asked him if he spoke English and Dima said no but that didn't stop Owen from talking non-stop to Dima. Owen read two Mr. books from the Mr. Men series. Dima was very impressed that he could read them. Then they switched books and Dima read a Mr. book and Owen read a magazine in Russian. They got along very well.

We found a nice Western place but really liked the more Soviet looking apartment. It's huge with two bathrooms, one bedroom and two balconies. It's pretty dusty outside because of all the construction around town so the balconies are glassed in with a few windows that open. Still it adds a lot of light.

We have a phone number but of course I didn't right it down so I'll post it later, if anyone is feeling adventurous enough to call. We are hoping to get internet access soon so we can post from home. Now, I am using a flash drive from Jen.(the woman from PA who arrived the week before we did.)

Here's Owen and me in front of our hotel. It was a great location and a terrific room. We are now just down the street but we don't have the view anymore. In the hotel, we were facing the river. Here's a picture of our view out the window.

Now, our apartment is on the river, but we are in the back of the building. All our views are of other tall apartment buildings and a few construction sites.

We saw the same baby yesterday. He still has a cold and was wheezing a lot. He also had a lot of red dots on his face from an allergy to some medicine they gave him. They're saying he's allergic to citrus and a few other things so we'll have to get that info. We have taken photos, but I think we can't post them until after court. We are still checking on that. Today (Friday) will be Day 4 of 14 of the bonding period. After that, we will have our court day. Michael and Owen could be home by June 1. Then there's the 15 day waiting period before the baby and I can travel to Almaty to visit the US Embassy to get his passport and visa.

We are hoping to get into a routine now that we're in the apartment. Poor Owen has had to sit during meetings in Russian, wait in the van and do errands. Quite a switch for a boy whose whole life has been centered on kid-friendly activities. He's with Michael now, in the park across the street playing frisbee.