Our 1st Day at the Orphanage!!!

December 2nd, 2009 has finally come and WHAT A DAY!!!!! I feel like it’s not real!!!! What a day, What a day!!!!! Wow.
9:15 Vera our coordinator came to pick us up, there was Antoine our driver and Irina a new coordinator which was her 1st experience, Christoph, Nathalie, a new couple from Germany and their interpreter all in the same mini bus. Let me tell you that bus drive was Quiet, we were all so stressed. We did not know what to expect!!! So we get to the orphanage and the people of the ministry of education arrive with Mediet, Vera’s husband the driver. They come in, no smiles no acknowledgements…. man did that pump me up!!! but anyways I was previously told Kazak people are very very reserved. Whatever… who cares.. So they start with Christoph and Nathalie, they had to go in a room with the ministry of education, director of the orphanage, Vera and Irina and the rest waited outside in another room. So we start seeing babies one at a time being brought downstairs to Christoph and Nathalie’s room……I felt like I was in a movie, I could not believe what I was living, It felt like being at a meat market so inhuman. They were so cute but then when I saw a baby with no arms, I lost it!!! Fil told me to control myself and to show I was strong… I responded, “Shit I’m only human”!!!!!!
You only hear about these things never see it with your own eyes… So then the caregivers came in our room and gave a blondish boy to the German couple and Mediet told the caregiver to give us this little boy. I was asking myself is this the little boy that was to come to us or was it another one, because I knew their was already a baby that was picked out for us but their procedure at the orphanage is they must show you all adoptable babies. Vera was busy with the others and I couldn’t speak to her.. I was so confused. The caregiver told us in gestures because they don’t speak a word of English that he eats and sleeps very good and pointed at him with 2 thumbs up, meaning he’s a very good baby, we also tried asking for his name and she said “Korkem” (not sure of spelling). We wanted to make sure with Vera that this angel boy was for us!!! So finally it was understood that this was the one and BOY WE’RE WE HAPPY AND SO VERY SATISFIED, we both had the same feeling right away that this is the one!!!! The smiles on our faces and the moments we were living were amazing!!!

Then we were told to go in a room upstairs with our baby to play with him and to bond. We really felt the bond between the baby and us. He was playing with a toy we brought, playing with the ball, crawling, a little smile. We were with “Korkem” for about 20 minutes, then Vera came and gave us the information on “Korkem” in a matter of not more than a minute. She was just bombarding Mary with the info, while I was playing with “Korkem” and trying to listen to Vera. Once we were done Vera said we have to leave and we would be back tomorrow to start the bonding with “Korkem”. We left to go to the bus with Christoph, Nathalie, Irina and along the way we came across little kids walking together with the caregiver, they looked so cute. Once we got in the bus we were still in shock of what we just went through and we are the luckiest future parents for this special baby that we will bond for the next 3 weeks. WOW!!!! It was a long ride back to the house but it was emotional as well and all GOOD!!!!!