Home Stretch...

This weekend we accomplished many things. While the to-do list is still intimidating, we can feel the end in sight. Tomorrow is a big day, as we have to mail our passports (gulp) to get travel visas. This is always a tense time in the process, and it's always at the last minute. Also, we'll be buying our plane tickets tomorrow.

Our biggest worry right now is staying healthy -- especially keeping Tucker healthy. He's got the sniffles, and I have to say that when he's like this it usually means he's headed for a chest cold, which can be really bad for him. We're focusing on the things we can do, like making sure he gets plenty of rest, etc... Beyond that, it's up to fate. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

The photo above shows Mia's group at the baby house. That looks like her, second from the right, in the front row. Hard to tell under all that fur, I know.

Funny... we know, of course, that it gets really cold in Tchuchinsk. It is essentially Siberia, after all. But I have to wonder how truly cold it was on the day this picture was taken. The Kazakh people are well known for bundling their children up to the extreme (by our standards). Even on a 70-degree day, the children are likely to be wearing leggings, sweaters, and several layers. And ALWAYS, always, the heads are covered. If you don't have a hat on your child in public, you're likely to be scolded severely by the next adult that walks by. We learned quickly. We're bringing extra hats for Tucker. Remains to be seen if he'll stand for being bundled up more than usual.

So anyway, when this picture was taken, I'm guessing it was about... 40 degrees Fahrenheit? Kidding...

-Mike