Shots

Mom and I got our shots today. Three for her and four for me, to the tune of 687 bucks. We got Malaria medication to start the week before we go (enough to cover both trips) some antibiotics (Cipro) and vaccinations for Hep A, Tetanus, and Typhoid. We both had the Hep B series so didnt need to get those. In addition, I got the MMR shot. Although I got the vaccination back in 'the day' when all little kids got it (Mom brought my vaccination records from 1969) the nurse said that it is recommended to have 1 more time in adulthood especially if I am traveling out of the country. I dont want to be sick at all.. I am a big baby when I am sick and, admittedly a bit cranky so I will do almost anything to avoid it. I was flying from CA this week and saw in the SkyMall catalog this handy ultraviolet water purifier thingy that you just stick in water for 20 seconds (or something) and it kills all the germs in the water. I mentioned it to the nurse and wouldnt you know it.. they sell them there at the clinic. She said that it would kill everything but cautioned us it would only work with clear liquids. So it wouldnt work with coffee. She gave us this great booklet on Kyrgyzstan that will be very helpful.

Dossier State Certified!

Woo hoo! My dossier is state certified. Thanks Mom for taking to the state department for me and getting it done so quickly. So now we make some copies (4) and send those precious documents to the dossier company. I got an email from J today with new requirements and now we make 4 copies instead of 3 and the couriers are limited to 15 docs. So they will have to make two trips. I'm a little scared. Those pieces of paper are so important to bringing my son home. Fedx better not lose them, grrrr. Shots are next.. We are going on Friday for all the vaccinations. They are good for up to 2 years according to the Travel clinic and we will get the antibiotics there as well. So that will be done too. Tetanus, Malaria, and Typhoid oh my.
http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/asia/kyrgyz_Republic.php Check out this link for travel info on what vaccinations to get (4-8weeks before you travel). They do recommend bringing an antibiotic and antidiarrheal with you, just in case.

Where's Beth?

Jeez, you would think that I would keep this thing updated. Its been a WEEK since my last post. I guess when I have no news I tend not to post. I love reading the posts from other blogs about their lives outside of this crazy journey we all have in common but I havent really done that with mine. I suppose I will start today. If youve read my 'profile' or any of my early posts I have mentioned that I am from Phoenix Az by way of Methuen, MA, Fayetteville, AR, Hills, MN and Sioux Falls, SD. This girl has been around. Although I have liked living in all those places I feel 'Home' is Sioux Falls. My oldest and closest friends live there and I try to visit as often as I can. The pace is soooo different in Sioux Falls. Its slower and not as crazy. You leave your door unlocked and there is SPACE. Phoenix is so big and full of people there is no room to grow. Maybe I am thinking more about this since I am going to be a mom. Bottom line.. i want my son to be safe. The other night Mom and I were sitting on the patio, watching a helicopter circle near our neighborhood. We guessed that it was only about a quarter mile away circling. We watched it a while until we heard 'You are surrounded' and it circled some more and left. OMG I guess the 'perp' gave up and they didnt need the helicopter anymore. Its things like that, and sad news every night that make me want to 'slow down' . More later :)

So now I wait, patiently.....

Saturday, I went to the ICF Agency picnic and it was really fun meeting a few families. Turns out Grandma B makes a quilt for the families, that is such a sweet gesture, and I was fortunate to see some of her work. Its beautiful and I am thrilled that Bennett will be getting one, oh by the way my son's name will be Bennett. I got a chance to talk to J and since Bennett is not able to be adopted until he is 3 months old I will have to wait until the first week in October for my meetcha and hope for the first part of November for gotcha. So far he is still in Tokmok at the hospital and we are going to try to keep him there for a couple months. There is a better ratio of caregiver to baby there than at the orphanage. I am happy that he can get the extra attention. I dont know how or if anyone can visit him at the hospital but appreciate the offers from the other families on the yahoo groups to get pics. I wil definitely let everyone know when he gets to the orphange and they can check in on him.

OMG

Referral .. i got my referral... its a boy.. he's beautiful and I am in love. Now I have to wait. Again. I will be attending the picnic this weekend and hope to talk to some other families that have gone through this. I also want to talk to J a bit to get more info on what to do next. When can i go visit, when can I get him home all that good stuff.

Russian for today MAT" which of course means Mother!

I almost forgot..

Did you know that there are a female and male forms of some of the words in Russian? So, when a word has an option I will use the female since thats what I am !! :)
I have been slacking on my Russian lately.. so my word for today is something I think I will be saying alot if I dont get back to learning:

YA NYE paniMAyu which means 'I dont understand'

Just when you think....

Just when you think you have everything ready.. nope.. there's something else. I thought I had everything ready..but.. I need another one fixed. Oh well, as everyone has said 'Just keep focusing on the end result.' I will get it done and get the docs sent to the State department. One good thing to look forward to this week is the ICF picnic on Saturday. It should be great to meet some of the families and staff of the agency. It should be HOT but fun.