Observations

Hi y'all. (Mike here).

First, I'd like to re-emphasize that you can now click on any pictures you see, and get to a larger version of it. I won't bore you with all the details of this, but just let me know if you want larger versions or if you're curious about it.

Second, I'd like to pass the buck and let Linda respond to Rose Mary's comments and questions about children at the baby house, and how they are prepared for adoption. I will, however, point out the little bit of the latest movie I posted, where the lead caretaker is giving "final instructions." They really have a great relationship with the kids, and really do prepare thm very well, and finding a "mamapapa" is definitely a joyous event.

Today was a normal day, with our regular morning and evening excursions. The morning excursion included Sveta this time, though, because we needed her to buy some special items, including some fabric for something Linda's making for Bacha, and some books.

Sveta also ordered us a feast fit for kings at the military kitchen, and we ate it there: A soup called Salyanka, a rice/meat dish, bread, salad, and a national dish called "monte" (essentially meat-filled steamed raviolis). We ate everything except for two of the four bowls of soup, which we took home in little ceramic pots sealed with saran wrap, and we ate that for dinner. All this for less than 800 Tenge. Sveta went home after ordering -- she's fantastic, but not a social creature.

Also, we got caught in the rain on the way home. Tucker HATES this, and immediately began screaming/crying -- complete meltdown -- it's happened before. However, Bacha seemed to be enjoying it, and when Tucker realized she was having fun, he turned on a dime and started laughing, too. I hope this is a permanent change in him.

In general, Bacha seems to be the more adventurous of the two at the moment. Tucker has a careful, almost prissy side to him sometimes. He often hates getting dirty, for instance, and insists on cleaning himself off at the most awkward times. Bacha, on the other hand, seems to love anything dirty and disgusting (snot, cigarette butts, bugs). Neither of them seem to have a lot of fear of getting hurt.

Also, Tucker has mood swings. I think we've mentioned that he turns into what we call "No Man" sometimes, where no matter what we say, the answer is "no," and he'll kick and push and hit if we get near him. This happens when he's tired, including often when he's just waking up. Bacha, in contrast, while she definitely has a temper, has not shown anything in the way of moodiness. The closest she comes to this is that sometimes she can get ornery, where's she's testing things and people around her more than usual. The Madonna Dance can often be witnessed at these times. She's got a side that spells "trouble," for sure, and I think she might still earn the nickname that Linda and I once bestowed upon her early on: Bachzilla.

It's fascinating to watch Tucker and Bacha interact, too. As in any relationship, the combination of the two of them forms a virtual third person that has a personality all of its own. Tucker-Bacha is still gelling, but he/she can be outrageous, cute, playful, evil, or sweet. Seldom quiet, though, when awake. Today, we even had a moment at the dinner table when Linda and I were pretty sure they were ganging up on us. Yes, it has begun.

Bacha has been saying something that sounds like "bakkabye" recently, and we've been wondering what it means. Today we found out it's a silly version of her nickname, Bacha. Like "Tucker-wucker" or "Petey-weetey" or something. Bachabye, baby, on the treetop...

BTW, Linda is giving the kids a bath right now. She usually brings in her crochet work and sits there while they play. It's a nice way to get them calmed down before bed.

For those of you wondering about our ticket situation, it's still not resolved, but I hope to make progress again tonight, as Eldo comes in to work and gets my last email (right about now, actually -- it's 9:55 PM here). I need him to book a different class ticket, and then hopefully tomorrow we can resolve things with KLM in Almaty, and then on Tuesday we can finalize things in the States and we'll be home free. I'll believe it when I see it. In the meantime, our backup plan is still to leave on June 5th -- we're still holding those tickets.

Oh. I did want to say something about something that happened again today. It was when Bacha started talking to some ladies in the bookstore we visited. I have to say that I really feel left out of this part of her life. I SO wish I could speak to her the way they do, and understand her as well as they do (which isn't perfectly, it turns out). Ah, well.

Tomorrow, we have a celebration dinner planned at the Louca house. Really looking forward to that.

The kids are out of their bath now. I think I'm done for the night.