The Van Sant Family Adoption Page

2010!

2010-02-20T10:32:00.011-05:00

I cannot believe that it has been so long since I have updated! January and February have brought us so much fun and excitement! With being in Michigan we get a lot of snow, and much of our time has been spent enjoying it!

January brought about not only a new year but also a new haircut for Taylor! Taylor did such a wonderful job, sitting still and wanting to watch the hairdresser cutting the entire time. She went from having long, long locks to having the cutest bob! It is definately her look!

January also brought Daddy's birthday and a ton of snow! Taylor was all about making snow angels and helping me shovel the driveway. Afterwards Taylor and I went sledding down the hills in our backyard. It was a lot of fun.

Taylor loves her new haircut... especially since it makes her look like Boo from Monsters Inc!

She is also getting very good at drawing! This is the early version of her Kitty Kat which is now fully completed!

Wouldn't you know it, but Michigan brought with is much more snow throughout February! SO much in fact that we shoveled quite a few times before finally getting it all off the ground. But it was a lot of fun to play in! Daddy was buried up to his face, but Taylor decided that was not good enough... so she covered it with snow! Brr...

November and December!

2009-12-28T10:34:00.044-05:00

November was a very exciting month!

On November 7th Tony and Taylor took me out for my birthday. We had a dinner at Johnny Carinos and they wait staff there was amazing! It was 8pm when we finally sat down for dinner and Taylor was beginning to get slap happy. She was a bundle of energy, and was having a great time. Because our birthdays are one week apart, Taylor tried to explain to everyone that it was my birthday and hers was the following week. But in two-year-old language, it becomes a little jumbled. At the end of our meal the waitress brought out an ice cream mouse for Taylor and I to share for our birthdays! Taylor thought it was so cute!

On November 14th Taylor turned three! Our little girl has officially become a "Big Girl" and she will tell you so! On her birthday, November 14th, we had a birthday party in which many of her friends came. Many were from school and many were from her home life. It was a great success, and the weather was one of the best days we could have asked for! It was the middle of November, sunny and 60 degrees! The kids were all able to play outside, and the party itself was a lot of fun! The theme of the party was Dora the Explorer, so the cake, balloons, and decor all matched. Taylor received a lot of fun things for her birthday, among them was a bed, stroller and high chair set for her babies, which she absolutely loves! She also received a new Barbie, a Dora doll, Wonder Pets figures, Disney Princess sets, Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, and Memory. All the kids received a little gift bag too!
After the party ended, Beth, Dave Corrie and Mike stayed and we all went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Milford. Taylor loved the food and had a great time! We then went to Brighton to go bowling! Taylor had a lot of fun rolling the ball down the lane, but her favorite part was the fan on the ball return! Cosmic bowling began around 9pm, and Taylor thought it was really neat! Taylor had so much fun that on the way home she asked "Do we have to go home?! This has been a great day!"

Thanksgiving was spent at Tony's Mom and Dad's house, with Uncle Marc and my mom. Dinner was amazing and everyone had their fill. During dinner Taylor and my mom played "bad guys" with spoons and awesome sound effects. They were absolutely adorable! Bushka, Taylor and I played Candyland and then Keith, Jenny and Jessica arrived. Shortly afterwards we all headed home.

December was the month of Christmas! December 5th we went to the Toledo Zoo to see the "Lights before Christmas." It was a cold evening, but well worth it. The amount of lights that were out were awesome, but Taylor was a little sad that the animals were not out. That is until we realized that Santa was there! She was very excited, and even knew what she wanted to ask Santa for for Christmas! While waiting in line, she ran around the auditorium and played, but when we got really close she began to get very excited! When it was our turn, she walked up to Santa and looked at him and paused... Santa asked what she wanted for Christmas and she she shyly replied "doggy stickers." They took a picture and she ran up to me and said "I told Santa what I wanted!" It was wonderful!

Throughout December her preschool began a little project in which every child was able to take home "If you take a mouse to school" and the stuffed mouse. Taylor had her turn and was very excited to play with him! He ate dinner with us, played with Taylor and even slept with Taylor. When the day was complete, we wrote in the book what they did together and placed a picture of Taylor with Mr. Mouse.

On December 21st, Tony's family came over for dinner and gifts. The dinner was great, with ham, beans and a casserole. Everyone ate and then we opened gifts. Taylor received an amazing doll house with a ton of furniture! Everyone was very happy with the gifts they received, and Kayla even sang to us on her new Karaoke machine!

December 22nd was the Christmas party at Taylor's preschool. They sang songs, read stories, played "Where's Rudolph" in which Taylor was a reindeer twice, and made a Christmas tree out of food! But the best part was a visit from Santa! Each child brought a book to exchange, and when they saw Santa they recieved a book! Taylor was very excited! the children sang for Santa and his helper read them "The night before Christmas."

December 23rd we all went over to Marty's to celebrate Bushka's birthday, which falls on Christmas Eve. Marty cooked an amazing dinner, and Taylor received a Christmas gift from Marty, Elyse, Bruce and Beth. Taylor and Bushka opened them and were very silly with what she got! The shirt, sweater, pants and dress are adorable!

December 24th Bushka, Grandma and Papa came over for dinner and gifts. For dinner we had Golumpki and mashed potatoes with an apple pie for dessert. After dinner everyone enjoyed the complany and talked for a while before opening gifts. Because it was Bushka's actual birthday we got her some flowers from Taylor. When it came time to open the gifts, Taylor ripped them open! She recieved some pretty cool things! She got a Dora plate set, some puzzles, and a Zhu Zhu pet! After dinner Taylor, Daddy and Bushka sprinkled "reindeer food" on the snow so that the reindeer woudl know where to go. After everyone left we put our cookies and milk for Santa, and Taylor headed off to bed.

Christmas morning Taylor woke up and immediately asked of Santa was here. When Daddy explained that he came while she was sleeping she replied with "I missed him?" We ran downstairs to see if the cookies and milk were gone, and sure enough they were. We then had to check Taylor's stocking. We took it down and Taylor opened the gifts inside and ate alot of the chocolate for breakfast! She then opened her gifts from us and Santa, and looked really excited by what she recieved! She was even genuinely excited about the clothes! When it came to the final present she asked "Is this a baby?" Sadly, it was not. She did recieve however, a fit pack game for the TV, Lincoln Logs, Hi Ho Cherrio, Cootie, Hungry Hippos, a full art box, a vaccuum, a ton of books, and much more. She got over it fairly quickly and immdiately wanted to open the toys.

After we all played with the toys for a while, we all got ready to go to Great Gram and Great Gramps. It was great to see the family, as we have not seen them in over a year. Taylor loved playing with her cousin Lauren, and had a great time with the rest of the family. After the amazing dinner spread, Taylor recieved even more gifts! This time she finally recieved the baby doll she wanted! The doll is from Great Gram and Great Gramps, and it moves its mouth to feed, opens and closes its eyes, cries, laughs and babbles. She was so happy!

The cousins: Dan, Kate, Lauren, Me, and Taylor

September and October!

2009-11-08T10:34:00.027-05:00

I cannot believe it has been 2 months since I have posted! These two months have flown by, but they have been very fun. Throughout the month of September it was back to reality for Taylor and I, as we both went back to school full-time. The change was smooth at least, and we now have the routine down. Taylor is used to going to school 5 days a week and is making many friends very fast. She is in the Nursery School/Preschool room now, and is loving it!

Spetember 12th Taylor, Tony and I went to the Renaissance Festival with Beth, Dave, Coorie and Mike. She had a blast and loved seeing all the royal shops and people that were walking around.

Taylor, Beth and I all had our faces painted and then Taylor rode the horses with Corrie. This time she rode bare back, without a saddle or reins to hold onto. She did a wonderful job and wanted ot ride them all day! After riding the horses, we went and saw a show called "The Zucchini Borthers" where they did a bunch of tricks and humor using fire. Taylor watched the entire show very intensely.

Her favorite was the royal jousting. It lasted about 45 minutes and she watched every minute of it. We had a great spot where she was along the railing and had a great view of the horses. She was in awe every time they trotted by.

Taylor played at the Chidlren's area for a while, and made a magical wands that she used to make wishes! When she waved it ove rthe tree stump she made the feathers fly!

After the fetival Taylor, Tony, Corrie, Mike and I headed to Halloween USA to look for halloween stuff for our party. While there Taylro decided to dress up and chase me around the store!

October has been a month filled with fun. October 10th Taylro went to her first formal wedding and did very well. She sat through most of the wedding service, and had a blast at the reception. She loved being with Evan and dancing with Jenn. She was all smiles, loved to dance and the best part was, during the toasts, when Tont asked her to be quiet she replied with "No! This is my wedding!" She had a great time and even made a friend her age!

October 25th we met up with my cousin Amanda and her family Gentry, Jackson and Lilly at Erwin's Orchard. Taylor had a great time playing with her cousin Jackson and they could not get enough of one another. They played on the small bounce house and then went to the boig one and actually had a great time! From there thye went to look at animals together. We said our good-byes and Tony, Taylor and I went out to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins. The whole day was wonderful, and we all had a great time.

Halloween! Our Little Princess Belle!
Taylor had her Halloween party at school on October 29th and had a blast! She made a lot of things and got to play with her friends all day...all while wearing her costume!

That evening we carved pumpkins and Taylor actually had fun playing in the pumpkin
guts! She was so proud of her little pumpkin!

Halloween night my mom came out and went trick-or-treating with us. Everyone had a great time and Taylor got a ton of candy! Our neighbors Gary and Karen even gave her a mini backpack full of candy! Taylor loved being Belle and is wearing the costume!

And for those of you wondering about our costumes this year- Meet Lady Luck and a Southern Gambler!:

August, Gotcha Day and Labor day!

2009-09-09T12:57:00.015-04:00

This summer has been wonderful. The month of August was packed with fun things, celebrations and more fun things! Taylor has decided (yes she decided for me after I asked her how come she peed in her pull-ups and replied with "you'll just put a new one.") to become potty trained! She had a few accidents for a while, but for about 3 and a half weeks we have been accident free. Taylor doesnt want to start nght training so we are not going to push it. She stays dry all day and during nap!

Taylor has had much fun on the wave runners this summer, riding with almost everyone! She no longer wants to putz through the water, but she wants to go 25 mph!

Gotcha Day 2009 came and went very fast this year. August 13th marked the day that Taylor was placed in our arms forever! We have officially been a family for two years! It is so amazing that we will forever be a family and we feel so blessed. We celebrated this year by going up north and having some friends visit. Jeff, Renee, Danielle and Dominic came up to celebrate with fun on the lake, shopping and cupcakes in Kazakhstan colors! We had wonderful weather and Taylor really enjoyed playing in the lake with everyone! After the kids went tubing, Taylor wanted to go too! So we put her in the tube and pushed her around for a while. She loved it.

This summer Taylor has really shown us how much she has grown and matured. At the playground she wants to climb everything, without help. When she realizes that she is so small and may have difficulty doing things, she figures out ways to do them! Climbing bars, swings and low slides are no match for Taylor! She will conquer all!

August 31st Tony, Taylor and I went to the Toledo Zoo. She enjoyed every minute of it! At first she was afriad of the giant polar bear as it swam towards her, but once she realized the the animals were behind glass and cages she wanted to be real close. Her favorites were the polar bear, the sloth bear, and the fish. She did not lihe the spider crabs, stating "I don't like those Mommy. They are scary!" The Toledo Zoo has a new childrens discovery area this year. It has a playground with a stream to mine in, and a little house that perfect for her! It was a great day and Taylor has a blast! Afterwards we went to dinner where Taylor (our social butterfly) asked where her friend was. When questioned about who her friend was she pointed to our waitress! Taylor then continued to amaze us. When asked how old she was she replied "2, but I'll be 3 in November." We all looked at one another and laughed!

Labor Day Weekend was a lot of fun. We all went to visit with Grandma and Papa. On Saturday we all enjoyed the sun and played outdoors, and on Sunday Grandma, Papa, Daddy, Taylor and I went to the Fulton COunty Fair. This was Taylors first experience with carnival rides, but not with the animals. She loved looking at the horses, goats, sheep, pigs and rabbits. She went on her first carnival ride and then rode a whole bunch. We warmed her up with the train but then went onto the Crazy Bus, the cars, the carousel, the strawberry and a pony ride! Taylor also got her face painted to look like a kitty! She sat still the entire time and loved how she looked when it was done. She moewed the rest of the night!

What a great summer!

June and July! and our 80th post!

2009-07-31T18:02:00.019-04:00

This is our 80th post! Wow! June and July have sure flown by!
June 18th Tony and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! On June 20th Tony's brother Keith and his fiance Jenny were married! The wedding was held at a park in Ohio and was very casual. It was so much fun and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Taylor really enjoyed being able to play wherever she wanted, and she loved meeting all the new people. It was a great day of ceremony, play and swimming!

Fathers Day was spent enjoying the sun and Milford. We went out to eat at Milford House and walked around downtown. Tony got what he really wanted: relaxation!

June 24th Taylor, Tony and I headed up to Tawas to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were blessed with wonderful weather, and we enjoyed every minute of it! We went to Tawas Point where Taylor and Tony swam in the freezing water, went on a bike ride along the point, and played in the sand. We visited in West Branch for a day and enjoyed some shopping. We also went to Oscoda for their art fair on the beach! Taylor had a lot of fun playing in Sand Lake and running around the cabin! We rode our bikes around the lake every morning, and we of course enjoyed eating at G's Pizza and making friends at Marions!

Two years ago this month (July 5th to be exact) we met our precious little Taylor! It is hard to imagine life without her, and everyday she reminds us of how lucky we are.

July 5th 2007:

July 4th 2009:

July has been full of fun. Our neighbors and us had a 4th of July party with food fun on the lake and fireworks. Taylor enjoyed swimming in her clothes (see the picture above!), and really loved the fireworks. She loved playing with Isabella and Gianna. Taylor enjoyed having our friends Mike, Corrie and especially Tony over too. She really liked Tony and seemed to follow him around! It was a lot of fun with great people.

During July Taylor also got to spend some time with her Uncle Nicky! She loves him so much. It was great for them to have some time together.

July 22nd we went to see "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" with our friend Alyssa and her two kids Brayden and Cheyene. It poured the whole time, and all the adults were crowed under the umbrellas, but the kids wanted to be out in the rain! It was a good time!

To end the busy month, Taylor and I went to Canton's Summit Park to spend some time with Heather, Aubrie and Mark. Taylor was so excited, and the girls played so well. After all the heat and action of the day it was great to relax and have some ice cream!

Kazapalooza 2009

2009-06-08T20:47:00.023-04:00

This year we spent June 4th through the 8th in Nashville, TN to celebrate Kazapalooza 2009. Muriel, Gretchen, Michelle and Kristen did a wonderful job hosting the event and we all had a blast being able to see our friends again! Some we have not seen since we were overseas in Kaz! This year there were over 60 families that came to the event!

We came into Nashville a day early and stayed at the beautiful Opryland Hotel! We took Taylor to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere Friday morning and met up with Sarah, Andy and their kids Zach and Addie. We had a blast and Taylor loved seeing the Meerkats and Elephants. That evening we met with all the families at the hotel and got to see old friends and make new ones.

Saturday was the pool party where we spent hours, and then we headed to Opry Mills for the afternoon. Taylor was able to pet the stingrays, however she thought they a little scary. She did enjoy seeing them though! Afterward we headed to Dave and Buster's for the big celebration. There was a raffle for the charity Two Hearts for Hope, dinner and dancing. Taylor loved the dancing and had a blast.

Sunday we did breakfast with our gang from Astana, Annette and Marwan and their daughter Kate, and Peter and Maren with their son Rinat. It was wonderful to be able to spend that much time with them, just like old times! We said our goodbyes to the families leaving that day and we headed out for a tour of downtown Nashville. Taylor was able to ride her first bus and could not get enough of it! Taylor and Kianna also had their first bar experience while on the tour! Taylor wanted a shot of tequila but they refused her due to her size. Sunday night we went to dinner with the remaining families and we were able to catch up with our good friends Steve, KJ and Tougy.

Every night we spent the evening at the Delta Island where there were dancers and music. Taylor was able to eat ice cream, dance, be with friends and stay up REALLY late. I don't think she was in bed before 11pm EST. Taylor and Tougy tried to break into the toy store on the final night but they were unsuccessful.

Overall this was a wonderful trip and we all had the time of our lives. Thank you so much to Muriel, Gretchen, Michelle and Kristen and we cannot wait to see you all next year in Milwaukee!

A wonderful Mother's Day and a precious 2 and a 1/2 year old!

2009-05-18T17:30:00.009-04:00

Mother's Day was a wonderful day. When I woke up I found that Taylor and Tony had gotten me some beautiful yellow flowers which remind me of sunflowers but in mini form. I was then taken out to brunch at Hector and Jimmy's in which we all partook of the scrumptious meal that was prepared for the mom's! We headed to my mother's in Romulus and enjoyed some well deserved time with her. We all had a blast and shared some great moments. Afterwards we headed out to do a little shopping and enjoy the day, and enjoy we did! Taylor got a huge milkshake from Dairy Queen in which she sucked down rather fast for the size! It was a great day! I love my family!

On May 14th Taylor officially turned two and a half! She went for her 30 month check up and it turns out our little peanut remains our little peanut! She currently weigh 21lbs. 12oz. and is 32 inches tall! The big news is that she has finally made it on the charts! She is below 5% but she is on it! She did pretty well at the doctors, and we stood out in the hallway to speak with the doctor. It always amazes me how much she freaks out when she sees the building! What a memory!

Taylor loves to dance and boogie,sing songs, and read books. Her favorite book at the moment is "Llama Llama Red Pajama." Her favorite song includes many, but we have dubbed Sugarland's "It Happens" Taylor's song. She loves to sing to the radio! Taylor loves horses, donkeys, and bunnies.

Here's her newest sayings:
Let me do it!
Really? How come?!
It happens!
I'm 21 pounds.
Two!
Turn the radio up!
Go faster!
Let's go buddy!
Green means go!

Now I will leave you with many very cute pictures! Enjoy!

The Easter Holiday!

2009-04-13T17:30:00.007-04:00

Easter was spent playing, cooking, and spending time with family. We had awoke that morning to Taylor calling to us from her bedroom, asking for the Easter Bunny! When we all got ready for the day, Taylor realized that the Easter Bunny had visited and delivered an Easter basket and had hidden all of the eggs we had colored! She first dove into the basket and received some stickers, nail polish and candy. Taylor went right for the candy, immediately eating M&M's! She then ran around the house looking for eggs, and every time she found one she yelled "I found it!" She would place the egg in the bin and continue looking for more! She got so excited about the idea of eating the eggs that she smashed one on the fireplace, almost as to ensure that we would let her eat one right then! She eat a couple of them and then went for more chocolate! We had a great morning, playing and goofing around, and then Bushka and Grandpa Mike came by for dinner. Taylor wore her yellow dress with her baby crocs, while I cooked ham, sweet potatoes and a green bean casserole. After dinner we topped it off with Dutch Apple Pie! All the food was delicious! Taylor received a basket from my mother which contained jewelry, candy and cookies! Needless to say Taylor had a great sugar high all night! It was great to spend time with family and we all had a great day. We all feel so blessed!

Winter in Michigan

2009-02-19T11:58:00.010-05:00

January 8th was Tony's birthday, and I had it all planned out with a cake and everything. Taylor and I went to the store and ordered the cake, but she cold not contain her excitment. All week she ran around asking for cake, so Tony knew what was up! Never the less, it was a great day.

These past couple of months have been very cold and very snowy here in Michigan. But we have made the most of it. Taylor loves to go sledding and play in the snow. She has been playing with the cats a lot lately and they have been letting her! Taylor is growing and surprising me every day. She has so many new sayings, and everytime we here them we crack up!
"It happens."
"Taylor's a toddler."
"Taylor potty training!"
"Twinkle twinkle little star..."
"Patty cake patty cake..."
"Whats goin on?"
"Kody and Tommy crazy."
"Im a cowboy baby!"

Here are somepictures of the past few months.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-28T15:53:00.009-05:00

Over the past 2 weeks we have had a very busy Christmas holiday. We visited with our friends families and had our own celebration. With all the goodies and presents, it was overwhelming!

On Saturday December 20th, we went to visit with long time friends, Marty, Bruce, Elyse, and Bethany, to celebrate my mom's (Bushka's) birthday. Since it falls on Christmas Eve, we always celebrate a little earlier so she can enjoy it separate from the Christmas holiday. Everyone has a blast and it was so great to hang out with our friends. Taylor's godmother Bethany was there, and it was great to see them together.

On Sunday December 21st we went to the Henry Ford Museum to see the "Out of this world" exhibit, with some costumes from film and television. There we were able to see Santa. Taylor had a great time, and when it came her turn to see Santa, she walked right up to him and posed for pictures! Ever since she has been walking around saying "Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!"

On Christmas Eve we went to Bushka's to celebrate with my family. My mom (Bushka), My step dad Mike, Sister Stacey, her boyfriend Ken, Tony, Taylor and myself were all there. We had a wonderful dinner, good conversation and then opened presents. Taylor received some wonderful gifts including a high chair for her babies, a Little People house set, and a doctor's kit. She was hesitant at first to open the gifts, but once she started Taylor never stopped! She tore through them and after she got the wrapping paper off each one we had to open the gift itself so she could play with it right then and there! When it came time to leave, she threw a fit, holding onto her highchair with all her might! Eventually she allowed us to put her in the car, after a very sad a pathetic goodbye to everyone!

The next morning we had our own celebration with Taylor. We opened presents and she was very excited! From us she got a few things like a pair of shoes for her baby, and some Cailou DVD's. But from Santa she got a ton of Little People, a Spiderman, Indiana Jones, and a Batman Galactic Heroes! She also received some building blocks, and a Little People book. She opened everything with a ton of excitement and had a blast!

From there we headed to Tony's brother Keith's house to celebrate with the Van Sant family. Everyone came including Keith, Josh, Kayla, Nick, Jenny, Zach, Jessica, Terry, Mary, Uncle Mark, Mark Jr, Mason and Carson. We had a great dinner which I think everyone overate on!, and then opened presents. Just to name a few things Taylor received, a Little People castle, a Care Bear, books, and the biggest of all (literally!) was a four wheeler! It fits her perfect and it runs via button so her little legs don't have to push a pedal! We all had such a great time.

On December 27th we went to my grandparents house to visit for a while. It was great to see Taylor want to be with her Great Grandparents, and she really enjoyed spending the time with them. she got the cutest little cloth house with 4 bears, a bed, chairs and blankets inside! She loves it! She also received an amazing tea set from my Aunt Donna and uncle Paul.

With the Christmas season now coming to an end, Taylor is still walking around asking for presents. She doesn't understand that it has ended. I am sad too, as this was a great holiday!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Love, The Van Sant's!

November Celebrations!

2008-11-30T15:51:00.012-05:00

November brings us 2 special occasions throughout the month. November 14th was Taylor's 2nd birthday! We held a small birthday party for her, with family and a few close friends. We decorated the house with Elmo balloons and banners. She opened gifts and ate cake and ice cream. She received many thoughtful gifts. Thank you to all who gave her something. She loves her baby doll, rarely leaves without it, and the magnadoodle and art supplies are a huge hit! We think we have a little artist on our hands. Taylor enjoyed her birthday party and for many days following, every time she saw a candle or something resembling it she says "Happy Birthday to you!" Her stats are as follows for her 2nd year check up: weight: 21 lbs. height: 30.5 inches head circumference: 17.75 inches. She is still our little peanut, and she is still as of right now, in 12 month clothes, however, those are getting to be short on her. Her vocabulary is amazing us every day. She knows all the names of the people at her day care, all her animals sounds, her alphabet form a to g, her numbers from 1 to 10, and much much more. Her favorite song at the moment is the alphabet song and the itsy bitsy spider.

Being in Michigan, November also brings us our first snow. Taylor had a great time playing in the snow with her daddy and Danielle and Dominic. She enjoyed walking around in the snow and sledding. Her favorite thing was being pulled by Tony in the sled!

November also brings us Thanksgiving, in which we are so thankful to have Taylor in our lives. We went to spend the evening with my grandparents, and Taylor had a good time. My mother went (Bushka), my grandparents, my Aunt Donna, Uncle Paul, and my cousins Daniel and Kate. Taylor was shy for a few minutes but perked right up and became herself within no time. She didn't really care for the turkey that night but she ate lots of potatoes, and cranberry sauce! She had a great time and enjoyed everyone's company.

October in Michigan... so beautiful

2008-11-02T16:46:00.020-05:00

This past month has seemed to be quite a blur. Our time has been spent very busily, and we have enjoyed every moment of it. On October 11th Tony, Taylor and I headed up to Frankenmuth, Michigan for Tony's family vacation there. We met up with Mary, Terry, Keith, Joshua, Kayla, and Nick at Bronners around 10:30am. We shopped around the town for a little while and Taylor seemed to be enjoying herself. She was busy the whole time, and she wore herself out. We went to check into the Bavarian Inn and played for while. Tay never got a nap that day, so come dinner she was riled up. In her usual fashion Taylor decided to fight her dinner and throw fit for a while. When that has passed we decided to hide the healthy stuff within the "good" stuff! She shoved that down pretty quick. Afterwards we went back to the hotel to swim for a while. The Bavarian Inn has five swimming pools, with one that was only one and a half feet deep. This was perfect for Taylor! She played for about two hours with us and Grandma and Papa, and the only reason we got out was because she was shivering! She was such a fish. She would lay on her belly and say "swimming" all while pushing herself back and forth! She fell asleep really quickly with Grandma and Papa, and Tony, Keith and I had a good time having a couple drinks. It was a great night! The following day we shopped around town a little while longer, and Taylor found a piano that was the perfect height for her! She played for quite a long time! We then headed home. Taylor was great the whole day!

On October 18th we took Taylor down to Erwin's Cider Mill in South Lyon. This cider mill is popular among the other parents at Taylor's school so we decided to give it a try. We headed down and when we pulled up we all got pretty excited. There were bounce houses, orchards, the shop, and an animal farm. We parked and headed to see the animals. We were pretty surprised when we walked up and discovered that Taylor could go in with the animals! We all went into the pen and Taylor was not scared! She wanted to pet all the animals and her favorite by far was the baby goats! They were the perfect size for her and they were not too busy. She was able to pet sheep, goats, a horse, donkey, duck, and llamas! We then headed over to watch the big kids play on the blow up stuff. We were shocked to find out Taylor could go inside the bounce house! She enjoyed herself and would not get out when her time was up! We got onto the tractor and rode out to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. I wish we had some pictures from that time but our camera died... but I have to tell you that it was cute! Taylor loved the cider but did not want to try the doughnuts! We also discovered that Taylor is not the biggest fan of pumpkin bread.

On October 29th we carved our pumpkins and this year Taylor wanted nothing to do with the insides! Instead she just wanted to play with a piece of the pumpkin and even that was short lived. She had a great time looking at the finished products and we cant help but wonder why she has such a huge grin on her face while she holds the knife in the pumpkin!?

On Halloween, we had the perfect weather. It was quite unusual for this time of year here in Michigan. It was about 65 degrees and sunny! Also with the time change later in the year this year we were able to have more sun later! Taylor had her Halloween party at her school. All the kids dressed up and trick or treated, made pumpkins and had family visit. She trick or treated at school with Grandma and made her pumpkin with Papa. We came for the evening and started to get ready for the night of fun. My mom "Bushka" came over and we all had dinner and headed out for the night. Taylor dressed up as a witch and got a ton of candy! She did not act to carry her cauldron but she did tell everyone "trick or treat" and "thank you." She had a great time being out with all the other kids and having all of there with her. When she had had enough of the trick or treating we came back to the house and she helped pass out candy with us. She was up late that night and she enjoyed every moment of it!

Yesterday was such nice weather that we decided to spend the day outside cleaning up the lawn. Taylor had a blast playing in the leaf piles and she is probably thankful for the Halloween decor from our party to be taken down!

And for those of you wondering about Tony and I, we had a great time dressing up too!

2008-10-06T15:59:00.007-04:00

It has been quite a while since we have updated our blog and so much has happened in the past month and a half! As of August 26th we have been home with Taylor for one year... guess that means we have been home now for about one year and six weeks! This year has completely flown by and we think back on our time often. Taylor is really beginning to grow, and we see her blossom more and more everyday.

We have been very busy as of late, with outings to the petting zoo, seeing good friends attending birthday parties, and beginning school for both Taylor and I. The petting zoo was fun. We went to Kensington Metropark and saw all the animals, and surprisingly it took Taylor quite a while to get up the courage to pet a sheep! As much as she loves animals, I don't quite think that she realized how big they really are!

Taylor absolutely loves her friend Aubrie. They go together very well. Aubrie is 5 years old and adores Taylor without being overwhelming. We all went out to eat and they had a great time playing together.

Taylor has discovered how much fun pigtails and ponytails can be. Every chance she gets she has to have one in!

We attended our friend Sean's first birthday party and Taylor, being the flirt, made a friend right away. They sat and stared at one another for a little while and then they shared his hat! It was so cute!

Taylor is doing very well with daycare. Especially now that she knows that both her and I go to school. I think she thinks it is pretty special.
We are also beginning potty training! YAY! Taylor has her own potty and when she sees it she pulls it out, and attempts to get herself ready. However, since Taylor is still a peanut, her pants that are the right length (12 months!), are too big in the waist. So she wears a dog collar as a belt. She loves it, though she hates that she cant pull down her pants! At least it is only when she wears jeans!
We will be writing more this upcoming month as there are many exciting things happening. We go to Frankenmuth with Tony's family next weekend, then Halloween is coming, and then Taylor's 2nd birthday! Wow! I cant believe she will be two!

1st Gotcha Day!

2008-08-15T12:37:00.008-04:00

On Wednesday, August 13th 2007, Taylor was placed into our arms as our forever daughter for the first time. On this day, Taylor was taken out of the baby house in Astana, Kazakhstan! In many ways, it seems as though it was only yesterday that we became a forever family. It is so hard to believe that it has been a year! Over the past year we have witnessed so many wonderful things and have never felt more blessed than we do now.

When we met Taylor, she was very tiny. But now she is a walking, talking, destructive machine! She has grown in so many ways, both in physical and mental means. She has such a vocabulary, and it still amazes us when she will walk into a room and actually point something out. Take yesterday for example, I broke my toe over the weekend so it is taped to another toe, and in walks Taylor, sees it and points while saying "Oh, Crap." I mean, she is astounding! Now, that was not something that we meant to teach her, but instead of saying something "else" we have been saying that. She picks up everything. We are even spelling things now and she just repeats the letters! Her height and weight is still small for her age, but hey she is following her chart!

Our lives have changed for the better and I cannot think of a better blessing. We are more patient (yep, had to learn that real quick!), and are always looking forward to life. Taylor makes us smile all the time, and we are truly happier because of her.

Now I know that this post sounds very cheesy, and I am getting emotional just thinking about the past year, but this is probably one of the best posts. Because Taylor is home with us, and this past year has meant so much, I cannot help but cry a little tear of happiness.

For Gotcha Day we celebrated both on the 13th with Taylor, myself, my sister Stacey and our friend Chris. We went for ice cream, played in the water, and made Taylor feel special all day. Tony had to work and had a meeting in the evening, so we celebrated with him on the 14th. We had a cake from Milford Bakery which had the Kazakhstan flag with "Happy Gotcha Day Taylor" on the side. Tony also brought home a flower made of cupcakes. We had cake, and all played for the evening. They were both wonderful days! Taylor had the expression of happiness on her face all day!

Happy 1st Gotcha Day Taylor! We love you very much!

Summer Fun and Firsts!

2008-08-05T15:50:00.012-04:00

This has been an exciting summer so far. Not only have we been able to enjoy the "children's entertainment" again, but Taylor has been having a blast! Taylor has finally met her Uncle Chris, Aunt Jessica and Uncle Nicky, and loves them very much. Nicky came to stay with us a couple weekends, and Taylor really enjoyed his company!

We travelled to Tony parents a few times, and Taylor finally was able to ride the wave runner. We found a life vest just perfect for her tiny body! She really did enjoy it and screamed when Tony took her off. Apparently she was not ready to be done!

We went up north to Tawas last week and Taylor was really able to enjoy some swimming. Tony took her out into the deep part and they swam for a bit. They looked so happy! Taylor was able to see "Bushka" and ever since all I have heard is "Booka?!" While we were up there, the Iosco Country far was going on so we were able to take Taylor and see all the animals she has been reading about for so long! However, once we got there and she saw how big they were, she was a little intimidated! She really enjoyed the baby cow, that is until it came up next to her and moo-ed! She was able to see ducks, chickens, roosters, rabbits, sheep, cows, pigs and horses! It was great! My mom, "Bushka," put the swing up inside the cabin and Taylor loved it. She laughed the whole time!

We have been spending a lot of time at the Indian Springs Splash and Play which is about 10 minutes from our house. It is a great place to go! Taylor loves to play in the sprays, although she is not brave enough to venture into the middle where the kids control the water! I don't blame her... I have been sprayed too many times! She tries to drink the sprays, and on Sunday she was unaware that sitting on the jets even while they are not on, will get you soaked! She sat on one and a second later it turned on! She stood up going "oooohhh, oooooooooooooohh!"

Now, here is the big news! Taylor has officially received her first haircut! On Sunday, August 8th, we took her to Carnival Cuts where she screamed the whole time but got a very nice haircut! She had just the bangs trimmed (that was enough!), so now she looks great! No more hair in her face!

Before:

During:

After:

The Taylor Report - One Year Later

2008-07-07T19:22:00.013-04:00

Hey everybody! It's your roving reporter, Taylor Van Sant, back again with the long anticipated Taylor Report. Since I reported to you last, a lot has happened in my life, and I am here to give you all an update. One year ago, back when I was just a little girl, I got to meet my Mommy and Daddy for the first time. That was July 5th, 2007. It has been a whole year! Here are some pictures to show how much I've grown:

THEN:

NOW:

It's hard to believe I was ever that small, especially considering how big I am now. So a lot has happened over the past year obviously, and I know my Mommy has been doing a great job of telling you all about it. So that I don't repeat anything you've already heard, I thought I would simply highlight the top 3 things that I have discovered in the past year.

NUMBER 1: EMBARRASSING YOURSELF PAYS OFF

Apparently all you have to do is put on a funny outfit, and big people will give you all kinds of candy! It's absolutely incredible! Go ahead and try it. You won't be disappointed.

NUMBER 2: OLD PEOPLE CAN BE KIND OF COOL

Sure they get on your case about eating all your vegetables, and make you wear stupid bibs, but they aren't so bad. I still can't quite understand why they want me to eat things that I don't want, but as soon as I put something cool in my mouth, like a lamp plug or a rock, they get all weirded out. It makes no sense. And sleep. Like I really need to sleep EVERY night. Who made up that rule anyway? All in all though, the big people can be pretty great too. They read me stories and take me swimming. And Ice Cream - well, that's enough for me to keep them around for a while! The whole love thing is pretty good too I guess.

NUMBER 3: DREAM BIG

No matter who you are, or where you come from, dreams really can come true. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't accomplish something. Even the smallest of creatures can move mountains when they put their mind to it (and I would know!). Living your life means living your dreams.

Pardon me for a moment while I wipe some drool off my chin.

Okay, I'm back. Hope that was inspiring for you.

Well, I guess that's about it. It's been fun writing again. To all my friends throughout the world, I wish you all the happiness that I have had so far. Just don't tell my Mom and Dad I am so happy. I am trying this new pouting to get what I want game. It's not working yet, but I'm sure I will wear them down at some point.

Love and kisses
Taylor

Our 4th Anniversay in East Tawas, MI

2008-06-24T16:16:00.004-04:00

Then:

Now:

On June 18th 2004, Tony and I got married on the shores of Lake Huron in East Tawas, MI. Every year we go up for that week and celebrate our anniversary. We walk to the spot our ceremony was at, reminisce and give each other a kiss. This has been a special day for the past four years. But as of last year, this day has turned into a double anniversary because on June 18th of 2007 we recieved our LOI to travel to meet Taylor! So now this day has become even more special, and who could have asked for a better anniversary gift!

So this year we headed up on the 18th, to the house on Sand Lake. The minute we got there, Taylor was excited! She loved the cabin! She ran around, giggling the whole time. We went into town and did our grocery shopping (yeah, fun I know!), had dinner at Genies (where everyone loved Taylor!) and came back. We showed Taylor where her bed was and allowed her to get used to the bedroom, in hopes of avioding a meltdown come bedtime. Taylor loved to play with Bushka's beads, and wore them all day everyday! At the cabin we have a wall of antlers, so Tony decided to add one for Taylor, made our of Megablocks! It was up until we left! Around 9pm we put Taylor to bed and she passed out, exhausted from all the excitement! We were tired as well so we just sat back and watched a movie.

The folowing morning, Tay woke up happy as can be and ready for the day. It was a gloomy day so we decided to go into town and visit the local shops. We talked with a lot of people, and had some good conversations. We were asked by many people about Taylor's heritage and our adoption process, as adoption is not very big up there. We headed back to the cabin and enjoyed playing there for a while. We then headed back to town for dinner at Tony's favorite place to eat "G's Pizzaria." Taylor wanted nothing to do with eating the bits that we gave her, but the minute Tony gave her the actual piece of pizza she chowed down! Afterwards we walked around for a little while, played on the jungle gym and went to get ice cream. Taylor was in heaven!

When we woke up we headed down to our beach to relax and play for a while. Taylor was hesitant as usual when we first got to the sand and water, but after a few minutes of freaking out, she settled in. She knocked over Tony's sandcastle (she is destructo-baby!) and then wanted to play with the rocks. She played with the rocks and threw them into buckets for quite a while content as could be. Then Tony took her into the water. Another freak out for a minute and then she realized that it was fun!

The evening was rather cloudy and rainy, but we made the most of it. After dinner we went for a walk around our side of the lake, and Taylor had a lot of fun. When bedtime came for Taylor, she was ready! We popped in another movie and vegged!

We woke up Saturday excited to see the sun! We all got dressed for the day and thought we would head into town to go to Tawas Point to play at the beach. However, when we got there, it was very cold and windy so we walked around for a bit and headed back. When we got back our neighbor came down with her two grandsons, Ben and Braden. Ben is 4 and Braden is 17 months! How great is that! Taylor was very excited to see the boys and she really had a fun time playing with them. We blew up her bear float and loved to ride in it! After nap we headed to KJ's for dinner and hung out back at the cabin due to the rain. It was rather fun, we played follow the leader (us following Tay) and built with blocks.

Sunday morning we woke up to more sun! The weather was rather perfect while we were there, sunny during the day and rainy at night when it didnt matter. We went back down to our beach and di some more swimming with the boys. We played in the sand until about 2pm and then headed up to get ready to go. The drive ome was long (it felt long - its really only about 2 hours) due to the thurderstorms and heavy rain. As we were leaving Iosco County we heard reports that a tornado warning was in effect in the county above us and that we were now under a severe thunderstorm warning. I guess it was a good sign that we were on our way home! We arrived back home around 5pm, only to realize that we were back to reality! The lawn had to be mowed and we had to go grocery shopping! We enjoyed a quiet evening at home and were so thankful to have one another!

Fun at Kazapalooza!

2008-06-17T16:37:00.011-04:00

On June 13th we got in our car and headed out to Chicago for the weekend. We were a little nervous, as this would only be Taylor's second long car ride since we have been home. She did very well on the drive in and seemed to be just as excited as we were!
We arrived and checked in to our hotel, the Essex Inn around 3:30pm and were greeted by Muriel and Michelle. It felt so great to put live faces to these pictures we had been seeing for months! We checked into our room, and spent the afternoon in Grant Park until it was time for dinner. We went back to the hotel and saw Jila and Dana, all I can say is that tears almost rolled! We were all so excited to see one another again, finding it unbelievable that it had been almost a year! On our way down to the Sherwood Conservatory for a pizza party, we ran into so many more people. It was great to finally see Steve and KJ again, and not have any weirdness between us, and to finally meet Gena and Jamie in person after spending so much time on the phone with one another! The pizza party went great, and we met a lot more people. We found out throughout the weekend, that we knew many more people there through blogs than we had originally thought!

Taylor and Aitugan at the Pizza Party

After the pizza party we headed back and stopped to play in Grant Park for a while longer. This was the first time Taylor had stayed up and played outdoors after dark, and she was really into it. Around 10:30pm (Chicago time) we headed back to the hotel room to wind down and go to bed. Needless to say Taylor wanted nothing to do with it. First she semi stood up in the pack n play so that only her eyes were showing... I could not help but bust out laughing! After we settled her down, she babbled for about 40 minutes and finally feel asleep. Around 3:30 am she started screaming at the top of her lungs, still asleep! That not only woke us up but our neighbors too! She settled down quickly and slept until about 8 am. Needless to say we were all tired in the morning!

Left to right: Maegan, Tony, Taylor, Steve, KJ, Aitugan, Jen, Asher, Jay, Shelby, Hayden, Zoe, Jila and Kiana.

We went to breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel with Steve, KJ and Aitugan. I believe that this was one of the best meals we have ever had, not because the food was great (far from it) but because we all we able to have a great talk about all the events that happened last year. This was a needed conversation, and it has made us closer because of it!
After breakfast we all met in the lobby to head out to The big event! This was a party where all the families got together and really got to converse with one another. We met many people and caught up with many. We had a great lunch, had a raffle, and took many pictures. We all had a great time, but come 1:30pm all the kids were tuckered out. We all headed back to the hotel where the kids (and Tony!) got a nap.

So happy to be a family!

At 2:45pm we met in the lobby to head to the Shedd Aquarium. Our group was rather large but it ended up being us with Dana and Serena, which was great and gave us a really good chance to catch up. Taylor had a good time watching the fish with her daddy but when it came to the larger ones, she wanted nothing to do with them! Serena and Taylor had a great time running around and playing, and the penguins seemed to be a hit! We met up with Gena, Jamie, Jessie, and Berik and all went to dinner.

Taylor and Tony looking and some of the fish.

The gang at dinner!

We had a pool party that evening and Taylor had a blast! At first she let out a little squeal but she got over it once she realized that we were going anywhere. She had alot of fun splashing and playing with the other kids. She was giggly and happy the whole time. Afterwards we went back to our room and took a quick shower. We all met up with Gena, Jamie, Jessi, Berik, Jen, Jay, Hayden, Zoe and Asher and we walked a few blocks to watch the fireworks. We all headed back to get some much needed sleep and to wind down.

Tay and I in the pool!

Needless to say, Taylor had the same kind of night as the previous night, so we were all exhausted! We awoke to loud thunder and wind at about 8 am. We packed up, got ready for the day and met with all the families in the lobby for a while. We took many pictures, had a lot of fun, and had to say our goodbyes. It was very hard to say goodbye, but we hope that will keep in contact with our friend's. We plan to head back next year to the next Kazapalooza which will be in Nashville.

Some of the children at Kazapalooza!

Finally Reunited! Maegan, Taylor, Kiana, Jila, Serena and Dana

Our 18 month peanut!

2008-05-23T16:42:00.007-04:00

On May 14th, Taylor turned 18 months! She is still our little peanut, but the doctor's say that she is "on her own curve" so that is good. She is still negative everything on all the charts, falling way below on size, but that is what makes Taylor who she is! She weighed in today at 17 pounds 6 ounces, and measured 28 3/4 inches long! She is still in 6-9 month clothes! But probably not for long. Her development is right on track for fine motor skills, gross motor skills, etc, but her communication exceeds where she should be! This is so great! If we give her directions, even those containing 6 or more words, she knows what to do! Now whether she does them or not... :) Her newest words are fish, Rhi Rhi (Rhino), raffe (giraffe), swing, couch, chair, milk (although is comes out "ick"), KoKo (kody our cat), MOMMY! YAY!, bird, "yeah" (with fist pumping), wow, eewww, up, down, and night night. I know I forgot some but you all get the idea!

Easter, A trip to the Toldeo Zoo, a Goofy Taylor, and a Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-12T16:48:00.014-04:00

We celebrated Easter by visiting with my mother and going out to see Tony's family. It was a lot of driving, but Taylor did well with it. I have to say, she got so much candy, that we had to eat some of it! She received a basket from the Easter bunny at Bushka's, Grandma and Grandpa Van Sant's and at our house! We headed home on Easter Sunday and did an Easter egg hunt at out house. It was rather simple, but Taylor seemed to enjoy it. Her favorite part was finding the eggs and licking them. Needless to say we had a baby with a very colorful face! Taylor also loved to eat the chocolate bunny, and there was the proof on her face, all while giving us "angry eyes," her new favorite thing.

After a short vacation to relax for Tony, and a much needed break for me, Tony and I met up with the Van Sant clan and Taylor at the Toledo Zoo on April 18th. Joshua, Kayla and Nick were there, along with Uncle Keith and Grandma and Grandpa. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Taylor is finally old enough to look around and understand the concepts that are happening around her. She even made a ton of animal noises at the correct animals! We all had a great day, but we were a little unprepared as far as dress attire! It ended up being an 83 degree day and we were all in pants! Luckily we did bring the sunscreen so no one ended up getting burnt. Taylor had a lot of fun playing with her cousins, and having the freedom (or so she thought - we watched her very carefully!) to walk around at the zoo! Some of the best animals were the sloth bear, who came right up to us at the window and the hippos, who Tay loved to watch swim by! We rode the train, and Taylor really enjoyed seeing the animals, and the ride! We stopped at the bird sanctuary last, where the birds fly free, but little tired Taylor had actually passed out in the stroller!

Throughout the past couple of months we have found Taylor in some very silly spots. Since she is so tiny still, she fits into the funniest things, especially her favorite thing to sit or lay in... the cat bed! If she doesn't fit into tiny things, she sure does look very tiny in them! Taylor has also loved to wear wigs while in the bath! She looks ridiculous with her old fashioned Parliament "Whig" in the bath tub!

May 11th was our very first Mother's Day! Tony woke me up to breakfast already ready, with my gifts from Tony and Taylor on the counter. Tony got me some red impatients and a lovely card, and Taylor got me a book by my favorite author and the most hilarious card! It has a picture of a baby doing "angry eyes" which is something Taylor loves to do! After we were done with breakfast, we got Taylor up and ready for the day and headed out for brunch. From there it was off to my mothers (aka Bushka!) to visit for a while. We had a good time, but it rained all day. Other than that, everything was wonderful!

6 Months Home!

2008-03-03T16:44:00.009-05:00

Wow! It is so hard to believe that as of February 26Th we have been back home in Michigan with our baby girl Taylor! It has been the best 6 months of our lives! The transition from Kaz to Michigan was fairly easy, and Taylor has been growing and maturing ever since!

When we first got home, Tay could not do anything but roll over. Soon she started army crawling and by Thanksgiving she was sitting on her own. Come Christmas she was officially crawling, and after the New Year she was walking. Now, we cant keep her still! She is doing amazing. Every day there is a new talent! Take today for instance... she has bent down and picked up items without any assistance, and she can stand up on her own (without using the couch or something for support)!

Taylor has gone from being the almost bald baby when we met her to having a full head of hair that is getting really long! She was about 8 lbs when we met her and as of her 15Th month check up she is 16.5 lbs! Incredible! She still stands very tiny, at only 27.25 inches, but hey, it suits her well! She will always be a tiny girl and the doctors say that she is staying "within her curve." So as long as she is healthy and happy so are we!

Her social skills have been improving as well. She now loves to be around other people, and especially other children. We joined Gymboree in November, but unfortunately they have closed as of this week. We are still in contact with her friends from there, so she will still get time with other children.

Life with Taylor has truly been a blessing. We have not only seen her grow, but have as well!

First full day at home: August 27Th 2007

Taylor now!

Our Walking Wonder!

2008-02-07T16:14:00.001-05:00

As of January 29th Taylor is officially walking on her own! About mid January she began to use her walker wagon, then she would take a few steps and fall. Now is off on her own walking all around the house, and we can barely keep up! Tay is so proud of herself, and she should be! She is very quick and she can get around the house before you even have the chance to wonder where she may be. It is amazing to see this tiny little 7 month size baby running around! Especially in her bare feet! She is also getting very good at climbing up the stairs! It takes her about 30 seconds to get all the way up the 14 stairs to the upper floor! I can hardly believe it!
As of Valentines Day Tay will be 15 months, and we will take her to the doctor for her check up. I will have a better update on her size and weight then, but for now, all I can tell you is that she is offically out of all clothes 3-6 month! She is even too big for the items which are 6 month!
Taylor is also drooling a lot! We have a bib on her whenever we can, and we are constantly wiping off drool. She is working on teeth number 7 and 8 and we believe they are molars since she is shoving everything into theback of her mouth. Tay is a little crankier than usual, but she is dealing with it very well. She loves to chew on ice! I cant get her to drink anything throughout the day, but ice cubes, she loves them!
Tay's naps are getting fewer and farther between. She has a good schedule that works well for me, she sleeps until 9 am or so, naps between 2 and 3pm, and is in bed around 9pm. I just wish that the naps lasted longer than 15 to 20 minutes! Oh well, I guess some things never change!
We have had a bunch of snow hit recently, about 12 inches just yesterday! Taylor loves it! We took her out sledding and to playing the snow and she just smiled and ate the snow! We walked around the lake on the ice, sledded down the hill in the backyard, and watched Daddy blow the snow off the lake so we could skate! I think we were out there for almost two hours!
Our little girl is growing so big, and we see something new everyday. Her newest word is bubble, which makes her able to say Kitty, Daddy, Doggie, Ducky, Bubble, Baby, Bye, Hi, and Thank you! She even knows what all of them even mean and when to say them! She has three words in sign, Please, More and Eat. These have come in tremendously! The other day I caught her "fedding" her duck! And she is beginning to interact with the other kids at Gymboree!

Taylor's Baptism

2008-01-28T17:08:00.000-05:00

On January 13th, Taylor was Baptised at Anitoch Lutheran Church, the church where I grew up. We met with Pastor Chreiss the day before to go over the ceremony procedure and to meet with the other family who would also be having their daughter Baptised. We also found out that we had chosen a very special day to have Tay Baptised, as this was the day Jesus was Baptised! The ceremony was held on during normal service hours, as Taylor was welcomed into the Christian faith by the entire church family.

Many people came to celebrate with us. My mom, Gram, friends Marty, Bruce, Beth and Elyse, along with Tony's brother Keith and his three children Joshua, Kayla and Nicholas, all were there. Bethany and Keith are Taylor's Godparents, and they seemed very happy to be there.

Taylor did very well during the service, staying very quiet and playing with everyone! When we were at the altar, the only time Taylor cried was when Pastor Chreiss put the cross on her head with the blessed oil. After the Baptism, we proceeded with normal service and Taylor enjoyed being around everyone!

After the ceremony we went to the Family Buggy for lunch. We all had a great time. Tony, Taylor and I would like to send our Thanks to everyone who came out for the day and for all that everyone did. The following pictures were taken by our dear friend Marty, who is a genius with the camera!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-28T13:23:00.000-05:00

The Friday before the Christmas holiday, I took Taylor out into the snow and Jeff, our neighbor pulled her around in the sled! Here is a shot of Taylor enjoying the snow!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We all had a wonderful Christmas, spent with family and friends! We spent Christmas Eve at Tony's parents house and enjoyed the frigid weather as best we could. Taylor's Uncle Keith and cousins, Joshua, Kayla and Nick also came for dinner and presents. After the wonderful dinner of ham, sweet potatoes, tuna salad and rice pilaf, we opened presents... which the kids were very excited to do! We had a great time, and each received such wonderful gifts! Taylor got some clothes, a pull along doggie, some toddler cars, and stuffed animals. Grandpa also made her a beautiful wooden toy box! And that was just from Grandma and Grandpa! From Uncle Keith we got some clothes (which Tony loves - a shirt says "Daddy thinks he's in charge") and, of course a drum set!

We came home, visited with Jeff, Renee and Ashley for a little while, and then put Tay to bed. Later that night Santa must have visited because there were more presents than originally under the tree! Tony and I awoke around 8 am, but we let Tay sleep in an hour. We went and woke Tay up (she will sleep until 11am if we let her!) and opened presents! From us Taylor got a Little Peoples Barn and some Little People people. From Santa she received a beautiful overall dress and cowboy boots, along with a bucket of beads.

After opening presents at home we got ready for the day and went to Bushka's for breakfast. We made omelets and potatoes cakes. We then opened presents. From Bushka and Grandpa Mike Taylor got some clothes, a wooden sled (just her size) and a lion walker. She looks so precious on the lion! At about 4 pm we headed home and enjoyed the rest of our day.

Happy Holidays Everyone! Have a safe New Year!

Thanksgiving and Santa!

2007-12-11T16:06:00.001-05:00

We awoke Thanksgiving morning to snow! Yep, 4 inches of the white stuff! Tay really loves to watch it fall! We enjoyed our morning and then we went to my Grandparents house for dinner. There Taylor was able to meet her Great Grandfather and her "PaPa." This was the first time either of them had met her. Overall Taylor did very well, and she really enjoyed the food! She was up all day with no nap and was very well behaved! Thanksgiving was a great day and it was proven to be so as Taylor FINALLY sat up on her own! A few days later she was off crawling all over the place. We are waiting for the day when she lets go of the furniture and walks away!

On December 9th we took Taylor to see Santa and give her the opprotunity to tell him what she wanted for Christmas. She sat with him and got her picture taken, but there was no smile... We are just happy that she wasn't screaming!

Now that we are getting ready for Christmas, Taylor is enjoying all the lights and the ornaments. We have to be very careful now so we are constantly watching her every move! Yesterday the gate went up on the stairs as Taylor finally figured out how to climb them!

Here is picture for you all... Taylor in all her glory!

Happy 1st Birthday Taylor!

2007-11-18T18:40:00.001-05:00

On Taylor's birthday (November fourteenth) we took Taylor to get her one year pictures as well as her Christmas pictures! They turned out beautiful. As one of our gifts to Tay we went to Build-a-Bear and built her a bear. She named it "Ba Ba" and dressed it in a black skirt with a pink polka dot shirt. When we got home, my mom "Bushka" and Grandpa Mike, along with Renee, Jeff, Danielle, and Dominic came over for presents and cake. Taylor got a Leap Frog book, a winter coat (we need it!), some clothes, books, and a stuffed bunny. We then went into the kitchen for cake and ice cream! We sat Taylor in her highchair and all sang happy birthday. We waited for a mess... and waited... and waited. At first she only stuck her finger in. Then we gave her a taste and she began to dig in. Overall though, she was pretty mild. She made a small mess but it was rather easy to clean. She really liked the icing and the ice cream! Happy Birthday Baby! Taylor really enjoyed hanging out with "Bushka" and Grandpa Mike. She showed them all her new tricks, like clapping and waving and spitting!

Taylor had her one year check up on Friday! She is 26 inches and 1/4 long! And she weighs 14lbs. 14 ounces! She is still a peanut but it suits her well!

On Saturday the 17th we met Tony's family up at Frankenmuth to do some shopping and go to dinner. Taylor really enjoyed hanging out with her cousins! Even all bundled up she was in good spirits! We went to Zender's for dinner and afterwards we had cake! Everyone sang really loud and some people from other tables even joined in! We ate cake and then opened presents. Tay got a xylophone (thanks Uncle Keith!), a jewelry box, a phone, some clothes, and a gold cross. Everyone had a lot of fun and Taylor did very well for not getting a nap all day! Although Taylor did get loaded up on ice cream and cake, so that is probably what kept her going!

Today Tony had to help Jeff get his boat out of the water, so while he was outside Taylor watched hime through the sliding door. When she saw him she hit the glass and said "Daddy!" It was too cute!

And for Grandma and Grandpa Van Sant, Taylor has learned the cooing!

Good Times with Great friends!... oh and Happy Birthday Mommy!

2007-11-12T14:43:00.001-05:00

On Saturday Tony, Taylor and I drove out to Buffalo, NY to visit with Annette, Marwan and Kate. Soraya and Max also came! We all had dinner and exchanged gifts for the girls birthdays! After the kids went to bed the adults got a chance to hang out, have some drinks and chat. The usual was talked about, Politics and Religion (seriously!) and we reminisced about Kaz. We even got to talking about trying to go back adopt again together! Fun was had by all and it was great to see everyone again!

This past week we went to my in-laws since Tony was out of town and it was my birthday. Taylor had a great time hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. And yes, thats me with the long hair, I had put extensions in... but they did not last.

Here is the update on Taylor:
~Taylor now has four teeth! The fourth one popped in this weekend!
~Taylor's favorite words are bye bye and daddy.
~Tay can wave bye bye (while saying bye bye) and wave hello (they are two different waves, each done with a different hand!
~Tay is pulling herself up and walking up and down the furniture!
~Taylor will be one year old on Wednesday! YAY!

Halloween!

2007-11-01T14:24:00.000-04:00

Lets start with Halloween prep! On Saturday we carved pumpkins and Taylor played with the guts! She is not one for being overly messy, but she had fun! She has a book titled "Five Little Pumpkins" and she chose the face of her pumpkin from that book. Tony decided to go scary, and I just went for happy.

Last night was Halloween! Taylor dressed up as a penguin and went to about twenty houses trick-or-treating! She looked so cute in her costume, and she really seemed to enjoy being out with all the kids. She received a lot of candy, and surprisingly she can eat most of it! Her favorite is suckers, even though they make a huge mess, but she doesn't care. She lets the sticky drool fall!

As of right now, Taylor is enrolled in Gymboree Music and Gym, and she is making new friends fast! She loves to watch all the other kids and everyday she is growing more and more. Today she got onto her knees (this is a big thing since she has always hated being on her knees!) and then stood! Yep, we are those parents! Everything is great!...even the yucky stuff like her cold! I just tell myself "Hey at least she is building antibodies!

And just in case you were all wondering about our adult Halloween party, here is a picture of us!

Fun Times, the Cider Mill and Frankenmuth!

2007-10-16T14:43:00.000-04:00

Things have been very busy around here lately! Since Tony has been back to work, and I have become a full time mom, I am finding that Taylor can be be a riot! Bathtime has become a fun and exciting thing, especially since bubbles have been introduced and she can play with "gator" and "hippo!"

Tommy, the small cat has really taken a liking to Taylor and he really does put up with a lot of her stuff... considering that Tay has no idea that she could really hurt him! Below is just a pic to give you an idea of what he puts up with! Kody, the big cat stays as far away as possible!

On Sunday, we took Taylor to Diehl;s Cider Mill in Holly, MI and she had a great time. She enjoyed sitting on the hay bales and eating the hay, and she really loved to watch the other kids playing. We then went and sat with the pumpkins and bought cider and doughnuts. We have not found any good carving pumpkins yet, but I am keeping an eye out!

On Monday, I took Taylor up to Frankenmuth, MI where we met up with Tony's parents for the day. We did a lot of shopping (browsing for me!) We ate lunch at the Lamplighter where Taylor had pears and blueberries and crackers! She sat very well on the booth and even stood for a while! Tony met up with us for dinner and Tay did great eating a ton of cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, and even trying some liver patte! Then for dessert she had ice cream and sherbert! What a day! We left and came home at 9pm, and due to not napping for the day and having a ton of attention frim Grandma and Grandpa, she did npot want to sleep. She screamed the entire way home and did not fall asleep completely until about 10:30pm! Eventually she fell asleep and slept until 10:00 am the following morning! Whoo Hoo! She is not finally taking a nap (it is 2:30pm) and I am hoping she will sleep for a while. I have a feeling she will be going to one nap a day very soon!

So, here is the update on Tay! We went to the doctor on Friday for her second set of of immunizations and she now weighs 13 lbs 12 ounces! and she is 25.5 inches long! I cant believe that she is so tiny still! She is finally into a size 6 months clothes! We go for a neuropsych exam next Thursday just to make sure that everything is going well, but I am not worried. We start Gymboree on Thursday and I am hoping that that will help with her movement. She is finally pulling herself up and she has two teeth coming! One on the bottom and one on the top! Taylor has also learned what the word "no" means and whenever we say it she cries! And it is not just a cry but you can literally see her face get ready to cry! It is so hard not to laugh right in front of her!
Taylor is also building a vocabulary! She can say ma-ma, da-da, kitty cat, bye bye (with a wave!), and baby! She is also learning duck!
On Friday I will be taking her to her Grandparents for the weekend so that we can have our annual Van Sant Halloween Bash! This is the first time that we will be away from Tay for more than a day, and we are very excited to have Friday night just Tony and I!

Busy weeks and the Second Gotcha Party

2007-09-24T11:54:00.000-04:00

So we have been very busy getting used to life. On the 13th of September we went to the zoo with some friends. Taylor had a great time and really seemed to enjoy looking at all the animals. Some of her favorties were the turtles. She would lean in on her stroller to get a better look!

While having a snack break four peacocks walked right up to us. Taylor squealed and tried to reach for them!

The butterfly house was another hit! Taylor was out of the stroller for the time and she started to reach for the butterflies. She watch intently every one that flew by her.

The second party!

On September 15th my mother in law and my sister in law held a gotcha day party for all the friends and family in Ohio. We were very surprised at the amount of time and effort put into it. We thank them very much.
The turn-out was great! We had people that came that we havent seen in years and some that we have never even met! For those of you that know me, I have an obsession with penguins, so our cake was a penguin!

Taylor overall had a good time. This time however, she was more leerly of others holding her. Needless to say that on the way home... she passed out!

We recieved so many wonderful gifts and few that amazed us! Our friends Jason and Rachel gave us letters to Taylors name that Rachel has hand painted to match the decors of the baby room! They are so beautiful and look awesome above Tay's crib.

Back to reality!

Tony has officially been back to work now for a week. He seems to be exhausted but life has to move on. Taylor has been sleeping better through the night and now I pray that she will start to take naps... Mom needs the break!

First Gotcha Day Party!!

2007-09-10T13:56:00.001-04:00

Saturday was the first Welcome Home Party for Taylor! It was held by my friends Beth, Marty, Elyse, Marna and Bruce. Everything was spectacular and beautiful! The decorations were wonderful and the M&M's with "Taylor Van Sant" on them were amazing! My sister did a great job with all the signs! Many of our friends and family came to celebrate with us. A special thank you to Marty, Beth, Elyse, Bruce, and Marna for all that you did. And thank you to everyone who came.

Taylor did very well with all the people and the excitement and she really enjoyed herself!

Things here with Taylor have been going extremely well. She sleeps through the night and sometimes she even decides to let us sleep in a little! Naps however, are not as easy! She fights it with every ounce of her 13lb body. She will scream, and when she does eventually fall asleep it only lasts about 30-45 minutes! She is beginning to have night terrors though, and that freaks us out! The other night she was sleeping and about an hour in she woke up with a very high shrieker scream. No matter what we did, she would not settle down.

Taylor is beginning to enjoy many new foods. Here you see her eating grapes!

We're Home!!!

2007-08-28T21:29:00.000-04:00

What a long strange trip its been...

Sorry we haven't updated the blog in a little while. Needless to say, its been an interesting and eventful week since our last post. The best part though is that we are finally home with our little Taylor after seven and a half weeks on the other side of the world.

Here is a little recap of what the last week has looked like for us.

Almaty was a beautiful city. We arrived in Almaty on Sunday night (August 19th). The next morning, we went to the international doctor and got Taylor checked and cleared for the journey home. On Tuesday we were at the Embassy where Taylor got her Visa, and we got the green light to take her home with us to the US. Unfortunately for us, our flight out wasn't until Sunday, and we couldn't get an earlier flight. We decided to make the most of our week in Almaty to do some sight seeing and reunite with Annette and Kate, who arrived in Almaty on Tuesday night. Below you will see some of the local sights that we visited. We also had the chance to meet the Smith family while we where there. They were from Alaska, and had their three children with them, all adopted from Kazakhstan. The kids were great, and we had fun getting to know this new family.

We got to visit the Mega Mall. The one in Astana wasn't open yet while we were there, so it was nice to finally see the one in Almaty. It was nice. The best part though was the coffee place in the food court. We enjoyed a couple of Mochas.

Everywhere in Almaty were painted Camels. It was pretty nice. Taylor seemed to enjoy them too.

The yellow church was beautiful. It was built with no nails we were told, and was the only structure to survive the earthquakes that leveled Almaty 150 years ago.

We got to visit the mountains and see Medeu, the ice rink that they use to train for the Olympics. Here you can see Taylor and Katie reunited for a fun day out.

This was the World War II memorial. It was very cool to see.

Old friends reunited!

On the last day, we took the gondola up the mountain. The views were breathtaking. At the top, there was a sort of mini-resort with shops, restaurants, a playground, and a lot of caged birds. It was well worth visiting!

The trip home was quite an interesting event. Imagine leaving Kazakhstan at 2:30am on Sunday, traveling for 36 hours straight, and then arriving home in Detroit at 11:00pm on the same day. The first flight from Almaty to Istanbul took about 6 hours, and I will tell you that Taylor was not happy at all about the flight. She would not sleep, and was pretty cranky for the journey. We then arrived in Istanbul where we had our first 6 hour layover. Taylor settled down a bit once we were on the ground, and was much better from that point on. The twelve hour flight from Istanbul to Chicago was long, but we managed to catch a little sleep, and Taylor seemed far more content than she was for the first flight. We were very thankful. Another 6 hour layover in Chicago, and we were off for the short hour long flight home, which Taylor slept through (and so did we).

And since she has been home, she has slept like a baby (no pun intended). We have both been amazed how well Taylor has adjusted to her new home. She is doing great! She loves her new pets, and has already met many family members and friends. A tip for those who will be traveling in the future: We brought pictures with us of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc., our cats, and pictures of our house. Taylor seemed right at home in her new environment, and took to everyone right away. We think that seeing the pictures for two months prior to bringing her home really helped a lot with this!

Taylor and her kitties.

Taylor's cousin Kayla couldn't wait to hold her.

Here is Taylor with cousins Josh (left) and Nick (right). Notice the cool Kazakh hat that Nick is wearing. He was very happy to receive his souvenier.

To our friends in Astana, we miss you guys. To Peter and Maren, Jennifer, and Denise and Rolando, congratulations on getting your children out of the baby house today! We have been following your journey and can't wait for all of you to get back home as well.

We will update again with more pics and news on Taylor and her new life in Michigan.

Almaty Update

2007-08-21T06:15:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone. Just a quick update on us. We arrived in Almaty on Sunday night, and so far everything is going smoothly. Taylor went to the doctor's yesterday and checked out fine. Today, we got her Visa. The only thing left is to come home, which is something we would love to do but can't seem to get out any earlier than the 26th now. We will make the most of the remaining time here.

Sorry this is going to be short, and we may not have another update until we get back home. We are at an internet cafe right now. Unfortunately we can't access the internet at our hotel.

We can't wait to see everyone. Wish us luck that everything goes smoothly from here.

To our friends in Astana!

2007-08-18T23:11:00.001-04:00

To all our friends in Astana. Annette, Kate, Jennifer, Peter, Maren, Rolando, Denise, and Soraya, we feel truly blessed to have met you all. We will miss you and we will keep you in our prayers. We hope a safe journey to all of you and your lovely children. We wish you all the best and hope that we will all get together soon. The friendships that we have formed will be with us forever, and we will think of you all often. Hope to see you all soon!

Annette and Kate, we will see you in Almaty on Tuesday. Kate, until then, listen to your mom!

Warmly,

Maegan and Tony

The Taylor Report - Week Ending August 18th

2007-08-18T00:44:00.000-04:00

Hey its me Taylor again, with my weekly report! All I can say this week is....

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!?!?!?!?!?

When I was just a little baby (not old like I am now), I was brought to the baby house. I didn't like it at first, but since I have spent practically my entire life there since, I've gotten kind of fond of it. The best part for me of course was when my new Mommy and Daddy starting come to visit me 6 weeks or so ago. I thought to myself, this is a pretty good life. I could do this for a while.

But then...

Suddenly I was taken from the baby house and brought to some strange new place. There were new noises, new sights, and I was pretty much scared out of my witts. My cool new Mommy and Daddy were with me all the time, which was nice, but where is my crib? My playmates? It was all too much, so I cried - for two days straight!

Soon though, I began to get introduced to new things. It started to become pretty cool being out of the baby house. I like music a lot. I am a big fan of air conditioning too. Who knew that you could be cool on a hot day? Go figure. Best of all though was my introduction to the joy of TELEVISION!

Now whatever this TV thing is, I have to say it is pretty awesome! And cartoons! Boy do I love cartoons. I could spend 16 hours a day in front of that TV thing. I sure hope that's what Mommy means when she says that I am going to get a lot of 'exercise' when I get home. I think that must mean TV time!

Daddy is letting me use his laptop to do my Taylor Report today. It much easier than the way I used to have to do it. Bribing the people at the baby house to publish my articles was getting old. I would have to be all cute and everything and give kisses just so they would send out my weekly report. Now, Daddy lets me do it for nothing. I still give out the kisses, but now its because I want to.

One more week and I will be going to my new home. From everything I have heard, the plane ride will be really easy. That's what Mommy and Daddy keep praying to God about. I hear them when they think I'm sleeping.

Well that's all for now. Love and Kisses to all!

Love, Taylor

Getting adjusted

2007-08-17T02:44:00.000-04:00

After a couple of extremely rough days, Taylor seems to be getting better adjusted. So in addition to her change of environment, which was making her very cranky, our little one is now on several different medications to help knock out the fever and throat infection that has been bothering her. We took her to the doctor yesterday after we noticed her symptoms. Now, with her medications and some good old fashioned TLC, she is starting to act like her old self again.

So here is an update on the last few days.

Wednesday: We tried to go out to lunch with some of our friends here. Taylor was not too happy about it. Above you will see her sampling her first french fry. Believe me when I tell you this was the only happy moment of the outing. It was good to get out though.

Thursday: We went to the doctors (back at the baby house) and had a play date with Katie. She seemed to really enjoy being reunited with her friend Kate, who was taken out of the baby house on the same day that Taylor was. We spent a couple of hours at Annette's (Kate's mom), and Taylor really had a lot of fun. Taylor went right to bed when we got home too.

Today, so far she has napped for a full two hours. It was wonderful. When she woke up, it was bath time! She seemed to really enjoy the water at first. We had some screams at shampoo time, but all in all it was good. Since then, she has been very playful and happy (for the most part). We are going to try another nap here in a little bit.

Thanks for the outpouring of ideas. The music was a great tip. She seems to sleep better with some music to soothe her. Josh Groban has been the primary choice.

Only a couple of days left in Astana, and then we are off to Almaty for the week. We were originally planning to fly to Almaty on Tuesday, but it turns out we are ahead of schedule, so we leave Sunday. We will still be coming home on the 25th. We hoped to move that date up too, but it would have cost too much on such short notice.

That's all for now. We will update with more when we can.

Exhaustion!

2007-08-15T01:53:00.002-04:00

Let's see. It is now Wednesday afternoon here as I write. That means we have had Taylor for almost 48 hours now. By my calculations, she has been happy for about 3 hours of that time. To say we are both a little tired would be a major understatement. The new environment outside of the baby house has got our little Taylor turned all upside down, and she is not shy about letting us know that she is a little upset about it. And naps... forget it! She does not want to sleep at all. Its been quite a struggle to get her to lay down and finally doze off, which only lasts for about thirty minutes. Throughout the night, about every half hour, she starts screaming again as though she just woke up and realized once again that she is in a strange new place. To the grandparents, all Maegan and I can say is sorry if we ever put you through the same thing. I know you have been waiting to hear that, so enjoy it. The shoe is finally on the other foot.

Our little handful is actually sleeping right now, so I have the chance to post this update. Not sure how many posts will come after this, but we'll let you know what's going on whenever Taylor decides to give us a break.

We are really looking forward to getting home with her so she can begin to adapt to her new environment. The flight, time change, and new house are certain to cause her more tension.

So here is the update on coming home. We finished applying for her Passport today. We will fly her to Almaty, Kazakhstan on the 21st to get her Visa, and we will be there for a few days. Our trip home is booked for the 25th of August. We will be flying from Almaty to Istanbul Turkey (5 hour flight). We will then have what looks like a 5 hour layover. We then fly from Turkey into Chicago, which will be about 11 hours in the air in total. Another 4-5 hour layover, and then we will be home. Our travel agent will be sending us the itinerary later today so that we have the exact times. Grandma Sue (aka babouska) will pick us up at the Detroit airport after our nice long journey home.

And as I type this, I hear Taylor crying again (its only been fifteen minutes since we put her down). Mom to the rescue.

Taylor just turned nine months old yesterday. We think she must be cranky about getting old (haha!). All in all we are very happy and excited of course to have our little girl! She is such a wonderful gift from God.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. We have been a little busy to say the least and have not really taken the opportunity to capture her various tantrums on film. Ah parenthood... Its a beautiful thing!

Escape from the Baby House!!!!!

2007-08-13T11:35:00.000-04:00

That's right. Taylor is officially ours as of this evening! We went to the baby house at 5pm today and picked up Taylor for good. No more two hours visits. No more Sundays without her. We get her 24/7 from here on out! From now on, we have graduated to official full time parents. We are very happy and just a little scared.

We were told yesterday that we would be picking her up today, and we have been excited all day preparing for her. Maegan and I went to the store earlier in the day and bought all of her food and formula. We were originally scheduled to go at 6pm, but then had our time moved up so we could get her a little earlier.

The caretakers were sad to see her leave, but you could tell they were happy for her that she was going to a good home. We gave gifts to all the caretakers and said our goodbyes, and then off we went.

Taylor was fine for the car ride. When she got into our apartment however, she began to cry louder than we have ever heard from her before. You could just tell she was very uneasy and frightened by the new environment. We gave her some juice to calm her down (it worked for a short bit), which she managed to throw up all over Maegan about ten minutes later. Needless to say, it was a little rough right out of the gates.

And then the strangest thing happened. It was as though Taylor just snapped out of it, and she was the happiest baby in the world. She ended the night by playing and laughing and pulling herself around the floor to check out all the new sights. She was so full of energy that it took us an hour and a half past her bed time before she would finally settle down.

And so ends our first evening on a good note. Tomorrow we apply for her passport and birth certificate so that we can bring her home. Before anyone asks, we are still working on confirming the date that we will be back, which is not exact yet. As soon as we have our return flight confirmed (we are trying to get an earlier flight than the one we booked), we will let everyone know. I don't want to speculate until then. Don't want to jinx ourselves or anything. Looking forward to coming home as soon as we can.

Love Tony, Maegan, and Taylor!

A Night Out! and a day without Tay...

2007-08-12T11:24:00.000-04:00

So last night we were able to go out for the evening and see Astana at night. It is absolutely beautiful! Since I was asked to be kind, I will. Sorry but you will all have to wait to see the really funny pictures until we get home. Since we are making this into a book for Taylor, Tony and I thought it would not be appropriate to add too much... Jennifer, I have to leave out the messy stuff...
We met up with Annette, Jennifer, Mike, Denise, Rolando, Gulsana and the new addition, Seriah. We met at Baiterek (which is the big tower you see pictured above) at 10pm and walked around for about an hour. Afterwards, Gulsana led us to a bar and disco! It was great! We ordered food and drinks. Gulsana and Tony had a deal that if Gulsana would do a tequila shot then Tony would do a "yorsh." That is basically a shot of vodka in about a half glass of beer. So, as to the deal, Gulsana did her shot (actually a couple) and Tony did his shots of "yorsh." Mike also did these, and afterwards, Gulsana informed us that it would hit them in "about ten minutes." Yep, she was right! We had a lot of fun drinking and dancing. We ended up getting home around 2:30am or 3:00am. It was a great night!

Today was another day without seeing Taylor. We made the most of it though. We met up with the gang and visited the ethnopark "Map of Kazakhstan - Atameken." This is a miniature 3D map of Kazakhstan. As you walk through you can see mini versions of the cities througout Kaz. Up on a platform was the city of Astana. Our apartment building was even there!

The Taylor Report - Week Ending August 11, 2007

2007-08-11T06:56:00.000-04:00

Hey Readers! Taylor Van Sant here with the weekly Taylor Report. This week has been a fun and interesting adventure. The best part of the week for me was hearing all about Mommy and Daddy's favorite movies. I enjoyed it so much that I decided I would reinact some of those films for you.

Here you see my doing my tribute to "Star Wars". I have just defeated Darth Mommy and have restored peace to the galaxy.

Eminem himself would be proud of my version of "8-Mile"

Here I am with my own take on Disney / Pixar's Summer 2007 sensation - "Ratatoulle"

Like a little suspense and horror? No one could forget this famous scene from "The Blair Witch Project"

And another real nail-biter... Here I am doing my best imitation of "Jaws"

"Monty Python & The Holy Grail" anyone?

And last but certainly not least, once again I bring you my tribute to the classic gangster film of all time - "The Godfather"

In other news:

Have you ever been eaten by a blanket??? I have to tell you its quite scary. There I was minding my own business, when all of a sudden my seemingly innocent blanket decided to turn on me.

We were having a perfectly nice time at first, but then my blanket got hungry...!

I fought and fought, but the blanket was too strong...

Soon, all the lights went out. I didn't know what to do! I was frightened for my little life, when all of a sudden...

I was saved! Mommy and Daddy to the rescue! I guess I wasn't really in any danger after all. It was all my imagination. Maybe I should stay away from the scary movies from now on.

Well, I guess that's it for this week's report. Talk to you again next week! Until then:

LOVE, TAYLOR

2007-08-10T12:57:00.000-04:00

So we continue to have some hit and miss adventures with the internet. Today was another good day for us at the baby house. It is really starting to cool down here. Today the high was around 65 degrees. With cool weather comes more comfortable conditions in the playroom, and a happier Taylor. Taylor is mimicking a lot lately. She copies us when we make noises. Her favorite is what we refer to as the 'motorboat'. She sputters her lips and makes lots of bubbles. Its very cute. She did some singing for us today too. She seems to be getting more and more vocal with each passing day.

We have received a few questions regarding the current inspection process that is going on at the baby house. The truth is that we really don't know much about it, other than the fact that it has disrupted our normal schedule. We are told that they are reviewing international adoption procedures, though I honestly could not tell you what that means. I don't think we would be told even if we asked.

Other than that, everything is good. We are enjoying every minute we get with Taylor as we count down the days until we can bring her home. We go tomorrow to see her at 2pm, and then we get our usual Sunday break (which is getting pretty hard, we miss our little girl when she isn't with us). Soon... very soon...

Another day

2007-08-08T09:48:00.000-04:00

Ok so we are on line via dial up for now. We had the cable people over this morning, who said that the internet was fixed. We came back from seeing Taylor and it was off again. Now we will have Gulsana over tomorrow from 10-2 yet again, to try to fix it again...

For now, we have posted pictures of Taylor for your enjoyment. Her new hat was picked up at the resort on Sunday. She sure does look cute doesnt she?!!

D*mn the internet

2007-08-07T12:39:00.000-04:00

Well, this is the first time we have been able to get on the internet since Sunday night, and its dial up at that. Unfortunately, we aren't able to post any pics due to the crappy connection.

In addition to that, the last two days have been a bit of a pain. Apparently the inspections at the baby house will be going on for a while. On Monday, we did not get to go until 6pm, which was only after an entire day of having the time switched back and forth on us. Today was even worse. We were supposed to go at 6pm again. Then it was switched to 2pm. Then we were told that we couldn't go in. We ended up getting to spend some time with Taylor, but it was a big pain to get to that point. We will be so happy when we can take her out of there and spend time with her everyday, all day.

Don't fret for us though. We are still making the most of it. Today we had movie night for the girls, and basketball for the guys. Maegan and the ladies enjoyed a nice chick flick - Music & Lyrics. Mike, Peter, and I played 3 on 3 basketball against some of the local guys, all of whom were in their late teens / early twenties. We beat them the first game, and then old age caught up with us, but we were just happy to score a victory, especially considering that at least two of them were almost as tall as I am.

We are having the internet people out to the apartment tomorrow to try to figure out why we haven't been able to get online. Hopefully they will fix the problem, however we have not been overly pleased with them up to this point, so there are no guarantees.

We'll post again as soon as we are able to. Thanks again to everyone for your comments.

A Nice Night Out & A Day in the Mountains!

2007-08-06T03:06:00.000-04:00

Well, our internet has been a bit of a pain the last few days, so we are going to play a little catch up. Its been an enjoyable and relaxing couple of days since we left the baby house on Saturday. Saturday evening, we went out with our usual group of friends to Ali Baba. It was a nice dinner, capped off with the Dads doing a shot of Sambuka as a toast to fatherhood. We left dinner, and discovered a free outdoor concert near the mall that we all stopped and enjoyed. The concert was a rally in support of the President of Kazakhstan. We didn't really care, we just enjoyed the music. All in all, it was a fun night.

Yesterday we spent a day at a resort in the mountains. It was about a 4 hour drive there but well worth it! We left at 7:30am with Baheet, Gulsana, Yurlan, and the other CAI famliy, Maren and Peter. The drive was interesting... All of us crammed in this van, and with Tony and I being so large we all had to fit like puzzle pieces! I have to admit, we all got a little stir crazy but Tony made the end of the trip fun by practicing Russian badly and making Gulsana crack up! Once we got there, we ate breakfast and made our way into the resort. It was absolutely beautiful! We hiked up to many rock formations and went swimming in the lake. The weather when we originally got there was rainy and chilly but it cleared up and became very nice.

This formation is in the lake. Many people rent paddle boats or swim to the rock. We saw many jumping off of it too! Tony, Maren and I had planned to swim out there, but the water was very cold. We swam for about 20 minutes. Cold, but very clean!

Below is one of the rock formations. At the very top there is an elephant formation. The elephant is laying down facing away but you can see the ear, trunk and body.

We ended the day (before the second 4 hour drive that is) at an outdoor market. We were able to find some inexpensive keepsakes. It was very interesting to walk through. Below, you will see the large row of seafood vendors. Needless to say, the smell was something to envy.

There was an inspection at the baby house today, so we won't be going to see Taylor until 6pm. We are having serious baby withdrawls as it has been over 48 hours since we've seen her. We will update with more Taylor pics after tomorrow's visit.

The Taylor Report - Week Ending Aug 4th, 2007

2007-08-04T05:12:00.000-04:00

Well its hard to believe its been another week already, but once again it is time for another installment of the Taylor Report. This is Taylor Van Sant, your roving reporter in the field here in Kazakhstan. Its been an eventful week. Mom and Dad went to court and were officially made my parents. After the fifteen day waiting period (which is set to end on Tuesday August 14th), I will get to go home with them. There is still the matter of my passport after that, which will take approximately one week, so I will get to hang out with them here in Astana during that time. I have been thinking long and hard about what my passport photo will look like. Below, you will see which face I decided on:

Pretty cool huh?

So over the course of this past week, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to do when I grow up. I can't keep reporting on myself forever after all. Its cute while I'm a baby, but I don't think anyone will find it quite as funny when I'm in my mid-forties and I take a picture of myelf with drool running down my lip. Here are some of the things that I have come up with:

Investment Banker.

As you can see here, I'm pretty good with money. This is a job I could really sink my teeth into (well, my gums that is... at least for now)

Food Critic.

I could go to the finest restaurants and share the best places to dine with my readers. I have already developed quite a taste for fine cuisine. I even manage to get some of it in my mouth. Here I am sampling a little Duck-A-La-Plastic.

Cab Driver.

On second thought, I'd better pass on that one. I have quite a bad case of the road rage...

WNBA Superstar.

I could be the biggest basketball star ever. Look at me soar...

Professional Musician.

Here you see me rocking out on my drum! (Sorry Uncle Keith & Aunt Tammy, my daddy already bought me a drum, so you don't have to get me one now.) Daddy has already been singing me lullabies by Bon Jovi, the Eagles, and Jimmy Buffett, so I think I have a pretty good head start already.

Ballerina.

I'll have to convince my dad that little girls are not meant to grow up and be football stars first, but I think I might be able to pull it off.

Arctic Explorer.

The penguins are cute, but its oh so cold. Maybe not.

Human Resources Manager.

I could follow in my Daddy's footsteps and work in Human Resources. Here I am practicing scolding him for not putting all of my toys away when he was done with them. I put these policies in place for a reason. Some Daddy's just don't listen.

On second thought, maybe its better for me to just be a cute baby for a little while. Mom and Dad would probably appreciate it if I just played with them for the rest of their lives anyway. I keep hearing them say things like "Wait until she gets older and she can mow the lawn and do the dishes. How great will that be?" I'm not sure exactly what that means yet, but I think those must be games I can play with them when I'm a little bigger.

As always, thanks for tuning in! Talk to you again next week!

LOVE, TAYLOR

Starting to stand!

2007-08-03T05:59:00.000-04:00

Taylor has decided that she now wants to learn to stand! Now, this is not like she is pulling herself up, but when we try to sit her up, she puts her legs down and pushed up! Yeah! OK so I am definitely the mom who gushes about her daughter!

It was a great day yesterday. The play room was full of friends, Taylor enjoyed the company of us, and she got a new outfit! This outfit believe it or not is a 0-3 months outfit! So perhaps this may be a little bigger than a normal 0-3 month but it fit well! Most of her clothes are 3-6 months so she is very tiny!

Last night was another movie night at Annette's! We all met up and first went shopping where we bought some gifts for people here and some trinkets for home. We then found a Turkish carry out and Hamburgers! Mike, Jennifer, Tony and I were very excited and each got one. They were not like what we were expecting. They were good, but different. We then returned to Annette's to watch "The Departed." The movie was bought by Mike and Jennifer here in Kaz. We turned on the English sound but the movie was horribly re-dubbed in English (same actors but the timing was all off- with random gunshots and music!). Needless to say we were still talking about it this morning!

Today we spent a lot of time outdoors. Taylor really seems happy when we are able to be outside and it is breezy. She is talkative, excited and happy. Everyday we try to get her to move more than the previous day. After visitation we went to lunch and then to shopping where we bought Taylor a traditional Kazakh dress. I cant wait to get her picture taken in it!

The following picture looks like we color coordinated with one another! But we were not alone! Annette and Kate were both in green!

Taylor and Kate looking at one another. Taylor by the slide and Kate in the Jump-o-lene!

While outside, Annette, Kate, Tony and I walked with the girls. We had a good time and enjoyed the breeze... finally!

Just to show one more time how tiny Taylor is, here is her hand on Tony's! I love these images!

Play day

2007-08-01T06:11:00.000-04:00

We had a good day of playing today. We are hearing reports about the sweltering weather back home. Thankfully,it has not reached us on the other side of the world. Things were relatively cool in the baby house today. Taylor played with her friends a lot today, and had a lot of fun. Below, you will see her with Kate. Kate is Annette and Marwan's daughter. They are on the same schedule as us, so Kate will get out of the baby house on the same day Taylor does. We are already planning play dates after both girls are out of the baby house.

Believe it or not, Kate is only two weeks older that Taylor. While Taylor is very small for her age (wearing 3-6 month clothes), Kate, who is nine months, is already wearing clothes for a 12-24 month old. Its funny to see the two of them together with such a size difference. They are both very cute with each other.

Here is Taylor with her boyfriend. Shh... don't tell daddy

All in all, it was a good day. We had a lot of fun, got a lot of smiles, and enjoyed seeing Taylor becoming more mobile. In the past three days, she has really started to master pulling herself across the floor. She works very hard to get a toy, and then rewards herself by flipping over and just lying there with it. Soon enough, we will be chasing her around. Let's hope its not until after the long plane rides home.

2007-07-31T12:26:00.000-04:00

Taylor decided that today would be a day for showing us that she can scootch on her own! She did very well! We are the proud parents of a mobile baby! She had a good day finding new toys that belonged to the other children :) and playing with Kate. Taylor and Kate seem to get along very well, and we (Tony, myself, Annette and Marwan) joke that they will be freinds for years to come.
Taylor enjoyed time with her daddy, as you can see.

We also went for a walk outside on the playground today and Taylor found the trees! The leaves were rather fascinating and she really seems to enjoy her time out there. We tried to use our Snuggly but it did not work real well. Besides, she really enjoys her time being held.

As we have mentioned before, Taylor is about 13 lbs and very tiny, fitting in about a 3-6 months size! I have included a picture for you all to finally see. The hand belongs to Tony and the foot is obviously Taylor's!

We are Taylor's Parents!!!

2007-07-30T06:53:00.000-04:00

As of 11:00 am this morning we are Taylor's parents! Court went really well and really quick. The judge was nice, as was the prosecutor. While we waited Annette and Marwan were in their court session. Tony was very nervous while we waited which was a nice change of pace. For those of you that know us, I am the overly emotional one who hates speaking in front of others, and Tony is the one who usually has no problem. Not today however, the roles were reversed. I seemed to be relaxed and ready and Tony stumbled while giving his speech! Gulsana had to nudge Tony a little to get him started on it! As you can see from the picture above, Taylor is very happy to finally have us as her parents!

The next 15 days are the appeal period, in which the birthmother can appeal. However, we were told that this is rare and since Taylor was left at the maternity hospital at birth, the chances are miniscule. We dont want to jinx anything, so we will not say more than that.

We went to the baby house in the afternoon from 2 to 4pm and spent time with Maren and Peter, thier boy, and the new Peruvian couple and thier daughter. Tony and I are in agreement that we absolutely hate the afternoon sessions! They are extremely hot and uncomfortable! Taylor was very good today, despite the heat and she was very active. She even scooted herself across the blanket! YAY! This is huge for us! She smiled when we walked in (which was heartwarming as we were all smiles and extremely giddy!), laughed througout the day, and played well.

Keep us in your hopes and prayers that everything goes smoothly for the next fifteen days, at which point we will be able to take Taylor out of the baby house for good!!!!

Astana Adventures

2007-07-29T11:58:00.000-04:00

So it was another Sunday here in beautiful Astana, Kazakhstan. We did not get to see Taylor today so we enjoyed being able to see the sights yet again. This afternoon Baheet and Gulsana came by to prep us for court tomorrow. Turns out that there is a lot that goes into it! We were briefed and are preparing this evening for our adventures tomorrow. We leave at 9:15am for court and should be done around 11am.
We walked around the park today, up to the East-West restaurant and saw some new things. The yellow building is a French restaurant located in Central Park and we are told that it is very expensive. When Tony tried to take the picture we were told by the gate keeper that we were not allowed to but he snuck this shot in on the way back.

In Central Park there is an amusement park with lots of rides including 2 Ferris wheels, a roller coaster, a water park and a zoo. We plan to see the "zoo" before we go.
The lion with the wings stands at the bridge by the Ramstore and is the "guardian" of the city of Astana. Across from him is another lion with cubs. They are very beautiful statues.

Along the pathway to East-West there is a nice walk through of a park. It was very pretty and a nice break from the shade! We didn't think it would be as hot as it was today but once we got in the sun, it was sweltering!

We went to dinner this evening at a restaurant on the river with the other couples that are here with us. We had a good time. Tony and Marwan ordered the horse dish. I know it sounds rather nasty, but it was actually delicious! Tasted a lot like pork roast! We chatted for a while and then went our separate ways. Overall it was a nice day. We go to court in the morning, so keep us in your prayers!
(from left to right - Tony, Maegan, Maren, Jennifer, Mike, Peter, Marwan, & Annette).

This is the kitty that we found along our walk. He really made us miss our furrballs! He had coloring kinda of like Kody, with Tommy's eyes, and Mom's cat Louie's claws!

The Taylor Report - week ending July 28th

2007-07-28T05:43:00.001-04:00

Greetings everyone! It's Taylor Van Sant, reporting again from Astana, Kazakhstan. It's been another fun and fascinating week here, and just as I did last week, its now time for my week in review. Sit back, have an ice cold glass of your favorite beverage, and enjoy...

Here you see mom whispering into my ear that I have a twenty three hour trip to look forward to before I get to my new home in Michigan. Obviously, I am very upset about this! Living in Michigan that is. What's the matter with Miami Beach anyway?

Here I am getting the star treatment. I'm such a diva. Mom and Dad will be in for it when I start wanting designer clothes, shoes, purses, etc. Don't worry though. I have a trick that works like a charm. I'll tell you all about it in just a bit.

Here is my reaction after finding out Lindsay Lohan was busted for another DUI. How dumb could you be?

Okay! So this is all I have to do to get what I want. I make a cute little face, maybe throw in some puppy dog eyes, and BAM - I have my parents eating out of my hands. I have plans to employ this tactic for years to come. Make a note fellow babies - it works like a charm!

And then came.... THE ATTACK OF THE KISSING MONSTERS!

Throughout the week, a strange epidemic seemed to overcome the 'large' people. For no reason at all, they just go into these kissing frenzies. I think maybe its a virus or something. Its definitely contagious, because sometimes one of them will do it, and then the other one does it immediately afterwards. Its so weird. They can't seem to help themselves. It doesn't matter if I laugh or cry, they just kiss, kiss, kiss! It's both strangely disturbing and kind of nice all at the same time. Actually, the more I think about it, I guess I really do like it. I can't wait until I get my next kiss!

Well, I guess that's it for now. Court is on Monday, and then my mommy and daddy will come to see me in the afternoon. I will be very happy to see them when they get here! Until then I will be saying my prayers that everything goes well in court. I encourage all my readers to do the same.

LOVE, TAYLOR

We are back on line!

2007-07-27T13:22:00.000-04:00

For the past two days we have been unable to post... This was Taylor's reaction when she found this out...

Blogger gave us a message that said they had received warning that someone had tried to spam our blog and that it needed to be cleared by a real person. So now that that is finally cleared up we can post again! Sorry again folks for the inconvience. We do love to be able to post pictures and get comments, it helps us with our time here!

Wednesday was a tough day, as you can tell from the picture above. Taylor was not feeling well and so she just wanted to be held. She always seems to enjoy the mirror though. All we have to do is go and sit in front of it and she smiles and giggles like crazy! But if we were not distracting her, she would cry. It was so sad and cute and pathetic all at the same time.

Yesterday was a better day. Taylor was all smiles and seemed to have an overall good demeanor. Taylor, even though she does not like tummy time, has begun to show some interest in pushing herself using my arms as stable weights! This is great! Soon she will hopefully be standing! We were able to meet with the doctor and discuss Taylor's health and we were told that she has a minor, let me repeat that so y'all don't freak out, a minor cold, and is currently being treated.

Below is Annette and Marwan's daughter Kate. She is the room kleptomaniac and was caught stealing Taylor's toys! Kate is literally 2 weeks older than Taylor! What a size difference!

At the end of the day, Taylor, her daddy and I went outside for a walk and she was very tired. For all you Taylor fans out there, this is an in action shot of Taylor yawning... one for the memory books!

Today was an interesting day. So let me start by saying that Tony and I ventured out shopping on our own and found these really cute onesie. We thought they would fit but when we tried them on today there was no growing room. I guess Gulsana will have to take us to the store to exchange them. So, instead we originally had her in a comfortable onesie and then doctor came in to weigh her. When Tony brought her back in she was dressed in pants and a long sleeve onesie! My goodness! I guess we should be buying some pants too!
The good news is that she now weighs 5900 grams! This is 500 grams more than last month! So she now weighs about 13.02 lbs! This is great! As you can tell, poor Taylor was not happy with the amount of clothes...

However! She became very smiley and happy when her "boyfriend" Matthew came to play. Matthew is Jennifer and Michael's son and they look so gosh darn cute together!

Overall, the week has flown by, with nights out with friends and being able to relax and get ready for court! We had another movie night at Annette and Marwans, and we met up with Mike and Jennifer there as well to watch RV. Tony and I swear that the funniest part about seeing movies with them is Annette's reactions to things! Last night we met Annette and Marwan at a place on the river for some beer. This has become the staple here in Astana. Efes beer seems to be the best! We were also able to meet a woman from Canada who is now living in Astana for her husbands job at the Japanese Embassy. She was very nice and has even offered to take us out around town! Tonight we all met for pizza, well originally for pasta but we could not find the place! But all went well. Good food, great conversations and great friends! I have to admit that I hope to be friends with the three other couples here - Annette & Marwan, Jennifer & Michael, and Maren & Peter - for a very long time. I hope that our children grow up knowing of one another and the experience we went through together to adopt them! Sorry guys, I know you are probably reading this thinking, goodness... but it is true!

Three more days till court!!!!!

My First Snoopy!

2007-07-24T02:50:00.000-04:00

We received a care package yesterday from home. Thanks Mark, Debbie, Heather, Adam, and Aubrie! It was nice to receive some items from home, but best of all was Taylor's first Snoopy. Papa Mark worked so hard to find the perfect Snoopy for our little girl! She really enjoyed her new toy today.

Today was a day of exploring. Taylor had the chance to taste her own feet - YUM!!! We played in the mirror again, and Taylor really enjoyed looking at herself and spitting all over the glass. And she seemed to love her new sunglasses, though they were far more interesting to play with than to actually wear. They lasted all of about two seconds before they were ripped off.

All in all, it was a good day. Taylor got tired early and ended the day sleeping on Daddy's shoulder. Adorable!

A little spoiled?

2007-07-23T04:56:00.001-04:00

Is it possible that Taylor is getting spoiled already? Here she is surrounded by her ever growing pile of toys. Of course, this is nothing compared to the spoiling she is going to get when her loving grandparents are done with her.

Today was very cool. After the blistering heat we had before, it sounds like this week is going to bring some welcome change. High 60s to low 70s all week. Never thought we would be excited for cool weather. That means the baby house will only feel like 80 degrees this week. We can handle that. Taylor seems to always be much more responsive on days like this too, which we love. She was very playful and talkative today. She was definitely a Mama's Girl today. She was all about Maegan.

We received our court date today. Next Monday, July 30th, we will go to court to make Taylor our daughter officially. We are extremely excited!!!! We just want to take her home now.

And now for my favorite picture of the day: Taylor Van Sant as the Godfather...

"I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse."

A Day Out

2007-07-22T09:05:00.000-04:00

Today we did not get to Taylor so instead Baheet and Gulsana took us out sightseeing. We went to a place to horseback ride, which was a nice change of pace. It was not what we had expected but fun none the less.

At the horse ranch there were camels. Tony decided to pet one, at least it didn't spit on him!

Afterwards we went to Baiterik and were able to go up in it. From here we were able to see the entire city. It was very neat and exciting because we actually knew what some of the buildings were! At the top we put our hands into the gold mold and made a wish. It is tradition to do so and we were told that the wishes usually come true. I hope so!

After Baiterik we went to the Palace of Peace. Inside there is an opera theatre, a silver and gold museum, a winter garden, and a meeting hall. There is also inside the palace, a place to stand and raise your hands to the ceiling and make a wish. I hope these wishes come true.

This is the women's statue outside the Palace of Peace.

These trees are outside the Palace. Don't they look like the Lego trees?!

To waiting families:
What do we do when we are not at the baby house? Hmm... lets see. We have a few families here now so we tend to get together with them a lot. Movie nights will be a frequent activity. We walk a lot! And I mean a lot. There is only so much I can do in the apartment... Tony would love it if I could just relax! We will be doing more things like we did today. There is a resort that we will be going to soon. It has swimming, hiking, etc. I cant wait!

The Week in Review-A Baby's Perspective

2007-07-21T05:16:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

It's Taylor Van Sant writing to you. In addition to being adorable and learning to say DADA already (even though Mommy keeps swearing she doesn't hear it), I am also the most talented baby journalist in the world. Today's article will be titled - The Week in Review - A Baby's Perspective

This week was an exciting and eventful week for me and my new parents. Let's take a look at the journey:

On Monday, I had a ball (not really). Here I am sinking just so Mom and Dad can get a "cute" picture. Oh the humanity...

On Tuesday, Dad rescued me from the 'Weird Yellow Circle Thing' that got caught around my leg. I was really stressing out over it. He is my hero.

On Wednesday, Mom and Dad forgot the camera. I made the best faces ever, but apparently you'll just have to take my word for it. Instead, here is a picture of my new cat Tommy reading a book

On Thursday, I shared my views on the socio-economic landscape of Kazakhstan, the impacts of global warming on our planet, and my views on the US Presidential candidates. Unfortunately though, it only came out as BA-BA-GA-GOO.

On Friday, I enjoyed flying like Superman. Look at me go...

And then for today. I really had a lot of fun today. Mom and Dad and I all played for the entire 2 hours. It was cool in the baby house, so I decided I would not be cranky and that I would have fun. I did a little more scootching today, and before long I will be crawling, walking, you name it. I just need to make Mom and Dad work for it a little bit more.

I won't get to see my parents tomorrow. I hope they behave themselves. Me, I have a lot of chores tomorrow, so I will be busy all day. Parents... They have it so easy!

Love you all
Taylor

A later day

2007-07-20T06:39:00.000-04:00

Today a new family joined us so we were unable to visit Taylor until 2pm. This was a different change of pace. We woke up and got ready for the day as usual, but instead of going to see Taylor we went to lunch with Baheet, Gulsana and the new family. It was great getting to meet the new members of our little tribe here in Astana. After lunch we went to the baby house to see Taylor and we finally got the rain that we were hoping for! We thought that it would be great but it turned out to make things even more muggy than they were previously. We got to feed Taylor lunch and then take her into the play room, which was horribly hot. Unfortunately it was raining so we were forced to stay inside. We played and giggled and had a good time until about an hour and a half in. Then Taylor began to get cranky, which was probably due to the heat. At this point the rain had stopped but it was now very hot! So we decided to walk around the inside of the baby house instead. When it was time to go we had a very hard time saying goodbye. With each passing day it gets harder and harder!

Baheet applied to court today so hopefully we will know on Monday when our court date is. After we go to court, we have a 15 day waiting period before Taylor can come home with us. this means that we still have about three more weeks of seeing Taylor in the baby house for only two hours per day.

I think that the weather, the different diet and the overall changes is catching up with Tony. He is right now, as I type this, sleeping on the couch. He had begun complaining about feeling sick last night and it has continued into today. I hope it is something that will go away quickly. The baby's in the baby house are also beginning to get sick. Milat (Mike and Jennifer's little boy) is sick and Kate (Annette and Marwarn's little girl) is beginning to sound congested. I hope this passes soon!

Happy Baby!

2007-07-19T05:13:00.000-04:00

So today was a very, and I mean very hot day! The weather said it would be 72 but it is about 95. Picture this, we wake up, excited for a cool day, and dress in pants - finally! We get to the baby house and it gets so freakin hot that we go outside, but that got to hot also! I had to go sit in the doctors office for about 10 minutes (they have air conditioning) to keep myself from passing out! But Taylor... she could care less. She was happy all day! We had smiles galore, laughter, and tons of playing! This was a great change to the overly cranky baby that we have been seeing for the past few days!

We played with Taylor mostly outside today and she really seemed to be happy about it! Outside the baby house there are large cribs and we laid down her blanket, put out some toys and played. However, from the picture below, Taylor had the most fun playing with her daddy!

As you can see Taylor enjoys not playing with my glasses but pulling on my hair!

When the older children came outside they realized we were there and came running. They went through our bags, started pulling out toys and the camera... Tony thought he was doing the right thing in saying no and taking the toys back...but this turned into a game for them! :) Below is a picture of Karina. She runs to me whenever I come outside and holds my hand while Tony and I walk with Taylor. It is so cute!

A day for scootching!

2007-07-17T07:11:00.000-04:00

YAY! Today Taylor finally showed some interest in scootching! We put our hands behind her and she pushed off them a little bit! This is pretty exciting for us, as we were worried for a while! We all played in the play room today and Taylor did very well, talking, moving about and enjoying herself. Tony seems so big next to little Taylor!

We met a new family today, Mike and Jennifer from Canada. They are on day two and are very nice. Thier little boy is adorable and from Taylors room! I think Taylor may have crush as she was looking his way a lot today!

Well, not much to say, just some pictures!

The Many Faces of Taylor!

2007-07-16T05:58:00.000-04:00

Cranky!

Silly.

Hungry.

Adorable.

Mischevious!

Wild Hair Baby!

And a kiss for everyone at home...

Today was passport photo day. We got to take Taylor out of the baby house for an hour today. She did very well in the car. No crying at all. She just looked around and took in all the sights. It was nice to be able to get her out of there, even if only for a short period. We were hoping this is a good sign for how she will behave on the plane ride back. That is going to be an experience.

Hope you enjoy Taylor's greatest hits today. More to come...

A day without Taylor...

2007-07-15T06:53:00.000-04:00

So this is what happens when we are without the ability to see our Taylor! There are no visits on Sundays so we are having some serious withdrawls...

It is really hot here in Astana today. Tony and I have decided to go out and explore a little bit. We have walked through the park so far and went to "linner" at the Derby Grill. It is a great place! The have pub food so we were able to have a steak sandwich and a club. We were able to have a "book picnic" in the park this afternoon. We just laid there relaxing for a while.

A few nights ago we had the opportunity to walk around more of Astana. We found a nice little gift shop with some authentic Kazakh items. We were very excited to find a beautiful doll for Taylor that we hope will always remind her of her heritage. The doll represents the dress of the early Kazakh settlers. The same clothes are still worn today for ceremonial purposes. We saw several dressed in similar attire on City Day, a celebration of the anniversary of Astana becoming the capital of Kazakhstan. We can't wait to put it in her room at home!

Day spent with friends

2007-07-14T04:38:00.000-04:00

Last night was a very stormy night. The clouds here are much lower than those at home so the lightening and everything is gorgeous!

So today was spent with friends! We have (from left to right): Katie - Annette and Marwan's daughter, Karina, Martina, and Taylor! We shared all of our toys, had a few laughs and stole a few toys! Taylor seemed to kind of like hanging out with the other babies. Overall, she just wanted to be held today. She was rather cranky when she was on her tummy and towards the end of the day she was extremely crabby. She seems to be tired, even though we were told that she sleeps well through the night. I cant help but wonder if thats true...

The drum seems to be a hit! Taylor seems to enjoy playing with it and being able to beat it up! She is getting very good at stealing Tony's glasses. This morning Tony was leaning over her and she reached up very slick and ripped them off his head!

To the other families:
Payment over here - we tend to use our credit card at the RamStore and tenge everywhere else. We change money over about once a week and use tenge only. Most places do not take American money. Our return tickets - we bought our return trip tickets (Taylors too) when we bought the tickets to come here. It is cheaper that way. We will be changing the dates we fly out by about a week or so, so we will have to pay a fee to do so. We plan to stay the entire time. I do not think it is fair to leave and come back. The child becomes adapted to the schedule of seeing you and if you leave, then what?
Our coordinator here - Baheet is wonderful. She os a great person and we enjoy spending time with her. We do not see her on a daily basis but if we need her we can meet up with her. The first few days she is with you everyday, now that we are applying for court, she is around again. We have our translator with us everyday. We talk with our caregivers through her and we ask questions through her.
As far as seeing the rest of the orphanage, we are allowed to see anything we want, the only exception is that we are only allowed in Taylors room. It would not be fair to go into the other childrens rooms and get them all excited.
We have already experienced the children wanting us to play with them all the time. A few days ago we went outside with Taylor to walk around the playground. Tony ws holding Taylor so my arms were free. I had about 6 children holding my hands and dragging me this way and that! We see these kids everyday and and they still try to play with us! I couldnt imagine walking into their rooms!

For those of you wanting a picture of the family:

2007-07-13T07:01:00.000-04:00

Today, Taylor was happy and quiet. She chattered just a little, but for the most part she just wanted to hang out. Uncle Keith, she did say YO just for you... She was quite cute with the mirror as you can see. She seemed to respond well to her reflection.

The weather today was cool (high 60s) and it is very rainy. We did experience our first dust storm the other day, which was quite an experience. Its very dry and flat here, so when the wind really starts kicking up, the dust is brutal. It looked almost like a hurricane, save the part that we are thousands of miles from the ocean. The rain seems needed. We hope it doesn't last too long though. It has become our routine to get out and walk every day. Its our entertainment and our exercise.

We are having quite a few issues with the internet today, so we will keep this post short before we lose it again.

What a great day!

2007-07-12T04:37:00.000-04:00

We awoke this morning to find the weather outside to be cool and windy! This is great! No humidity, no heat, no sun... ok so it is odd to be saying that but it gets really hot here (especially at the peak of day- 5pm!).

We went to the baby house at 10 am and spent two hours with our daughter Taylor. She was in good spirits today! She was very vocal, lively, and seemed to be wanting to move. She wanted nothing to do with sitting on her own but she did want to sit with us propping her up. She talked a lot today! Tony says that she is telling us what she did after we had to leave last night! With the weather being as cool as it was we were able to play in the play room the entire time. It was a little warm though, even with the windows open. It is getting harder and harder to say goodbye... I have to admit, I am happy that she cries when we leave...

To the families who have yet to travel:
Lets see... prices here... Things are either cheap or overpriced. For example, we bought some shrimp that costed $80 USD, now keep in mind this was the first day and we had no idea how to read prices! As far as a gallon of milk goes... they do not have gallons. The milk is boxed and on a shelf warm. I would say it is a liter and costs about 600 tenge (approx $6). The money exchange varies from day to day. Today it was 1,220 for $100 USD. But like I said it varies.

Below are some pictures from our travels through Astana. It is beautiful here and everywhere you look there are new things being built.

Below: The building in th emiddle is the presidential palace. Resembles the White House doesnt it? this picture almost doesnt look real!

Above: The building with the blue windows/balconies (in the middle) are our apartments. The beach is a public beach along the river. Everyday it becomes packed around 3pm and will be packed until about 10pm!
Below: Us in Central Park - we know you all want to see more pictures of us!

A good day

2007-07-11T04:38:00.000-04:00

Today we arrived at the baby house at 10am. We dressed Taylor and made our way to the play room. When we got there, Annette and Marwan were there with their daughter and we decided to join them. Now, the baby house has no air conditioning and the play room always has its windows closed until we open them, so this a very, and I mean very, hot room. With 8 people in there it seemed even hotter! We played in there for about a little over an hour, giving Taylor time to play on her back, belly, and guess what! She sat on her own today! We have to help her sit up but the fact that she can sit on her own is great!

Taylor is a very talkative little girl and Tony swears she says "Dada." I however, am a little jealous as it will be a while until she says "mama." Taylor's favorite toy is Tony's glasses! I find it hilarious. She reaches for them and then rips them off his head only to throw them about.

We walked around outside - which was very nice because the sun was hiding and there was a nice breeze. She did not fall asleep today but when we were leaving she seemed very upset. This is good, we want her to miss us when we are gone!

We also went to the toy store today. Tony was in heaven! The prices for things here are outrageous! For a stuffed badger (yes we bought it!) was $24 USD! Unbelievable! The prices for strollers is even worse! We did however manage to find a drum (Yep, Tony has already begun the loud toys!), a music rattle, and some cups. This will be great as Taylor seems to be getting bored with the little amount of toys we have.

So heres what we (the parents) have been up to when we are not with little Taylor. Last night we went out to dinner with Annette and Marwan. We were officially on our own as we had no translator to help us get a table. We got seated and the waitress spoke a little English. She tried so hard to help us. When we were ready for the bill we asked for the check and instead got "chek chek" a Kazakh desert! It is a puffed rice and honey bar, kinda of like a not so great tasting rice krispies treat! Needless to say, we had a blast and you can bet that we were still talking about it this morning!

To the families reading this that have questions:
As far as Taylor being "chosen for us," I am unsure as to how this happens. Our coordinator was shown children before we got there and she helped to chose the one they thought we would be willing to adopt. As far as Taylor's history, we were told as much as they knew. We received all of her medical history (that they were aware of) and as much history about the mother that was known.

Thanks for the comments and questions everyone! This is the second best highlight of our day (Taylor is the first!)

Our first cranky day

2007-07-10T03:26:00.000-04:00

So today we were a little bit cranky. Taylor wanted nothing to due with belly time or lying on her back. She sat up on her own for a very short period. Actually, it was more like we sat her up, let go, and she didn't fall right over like she has the previous days. Small steps...

We began video-taping today, although Taylor felt like being a little camera shy. There was a little laughing and smiling though. Overall, she seemed happiest today when she was just being held. She responded very well to being held by mom. She was definitely a mama's girl today.

Maegan and I walked around the playground with her at the end of the day, and then she rested her little head right on my chest and just enjoyed the ride. It was adorable.

Maegan is already trying to teach her to make animal noises, and Taylor got her first penguin doll. She will be just like her mom when all is said and done...

Taylor heard all about the love and support she is receiving from her family today. Thanks to everyone for the loving comments yesterday! I told her about her grandparents, her aunts and uncles, and her cousins. She is ready to play with Josh, Kayla, Nicholas, and Aubrey! She also heard about her two cats today, and how not to pull their tails when she gets home.

By the way, she said DADA! Maegan thinks I am dillusional, but I heard it...

Pictures!!!!

2007-07-09T05:13:00.000-04:00

We finally have our cable modem set up, so we get to post pictures!!! Yeah!

Today is Monday, day 5 of our journey. After not being able to see Taylor yesterday, we went to the baby house and spent a couple of hours with her again this morning. We went shopping for clothes for her over the weekend, so this was the first chance we've gotten to put one of her new outfits on her. These are little milestones for us!

We were very encouraged by her progress today. She is trying so hard to crawl and to sit up on her own. She makes cute little grunts when she gets frustrated that she can't do it yet. It will happen soon. We can't wait!

Two of the adopting mothers at the baby house got to break their children free today. It was exciting to see the emotion on their faces as they were finally able to take their children with them. We are still a long way off from having that moment for ourselves, but we can't wait until the day comes. In the meantime, we are just enjoying every moment we can get with Taylor. We wish that the baby house was a little cooler (no air condiioning makes it very hot!) We can take her outside though if we want, which is nice. Today we walked around the play area for a while. Taylor really seems to be taking to us, and she loves to be held.

And yes, her ears are that big...

So as far as last evening went: All the adopting families got together at 7pm for dinner at Ali Baba. This restaurant was amazing. There were ten of us all together plus one surprise, Dana's baby! It came as a shock to all of us that Serena was free. We had dinner and chatted until about 10pm and then walked home.

We have become addicted to the TV series 24. We bought it not knowing how it would be but we have found that we want to watch more and more! Unfortunately we only bought seasons 1 and 2 but we will do without the rest. We have a ton of movies, books, etc to entertain us but they only go so far. Thank goodness you all write to us! We get so excited to read the comments!

2007-07-08T01:13:00.000-04:00

Today is Sunday and unfortunately we will be unable to visit Taylor. We will resume visiting tomorrow at 10am. It is sad not being able to see her but we do have plans to go out and enjoy the city! We are planning to go to the aquarium today and Gulsana seems to be very excited! She kept telling me that "we have sharks!" and then gave a cute smile. I explained that Tony liked sharks as well and she said we should go. So, we are going!

Last night we decided to venture out on our own. We walked along the river- our apartments are on the river- and we walked down to the RamStore. The RamStore is the grocery store and it is about a 15-20 minute walk from the apartment. We bought our first items as tourists! We just pointed and showed the number of fingers... Tony tried to open a glass enclosed case but got yelled at so we just learned to point. It was really nice to feel like we can do things without Gulsana or Baheet here. On the walk back home we got to witness some event going on on the riverwalk. I want to say that it was similar to a debutante ball back in the States.

We have made some friends here in Astana. Annette and Marwan are a couple that arrived on the same day as us. They are from New York. We are on the same schedule and plan to be spending a lot of time together trying to figure out the city. We have plans tonight to go to dinner at Ali Baba with the families who are already almost complete with the process. This will give us a chance to ask questions in a freindly environment. No translators or coordinators allowed!

To the families who are keeping up with our blog:
when we applied, we asked for a little girl between the ages of 6 and 24 months. We were told that since we were willing to accept a toddler that that would be the likely senario. We traveled blind here with no idea of the age we were to be referred but had not prepared ourselves for an infant. Actually, all the items we have at home (clothes and toys) are for a toddler so she will have to grow into them! Kazakhstan has become a blind travel country which means that they do not send you information before you travel. When you get here, you go to the director of the baby house and they bring in the one child that they want you to choose. They also show you other children but they have already chosen one for you. We were shown Taylor first, and they then showed us a little boy with cerebral palsy. They knew we were not going to accept the boy so it seemed to us that we only had one option.
It took us a couple of days before we were certain that Taylor was the one for us. Once we were able to sit down with the doctors and discuss her health, we were convinced. I will admit that it was a stressful time, but well worth it. For those who are expecting that you will know instantly, you won't. At least it wasn't that way for us. We are very happy and excited about Taylor now that we have adjusted to the idea of a younger child.

We absolutely love all the comments! We tried to tune into GHSN on the television, but we couldn't find it. Thanks for the laugh Mark! To our friends and family back home, we miss you already. Stay in touch!

Taylor Tomyris Nadine Van Sant

2007-07-07T06:36:00.000-04:00

zdrastvooytye... (Hello) from Astana!

We are on day three here in beautiful Astana, Kazakhstan! We have met our daughter (which I will go into length about shortly!), we have moved into our apartment and we have begun to form a routine.

Our apartment in along the river and seems to be the apartment that is used by Commonwealth families all the time. It is pretty spacious, however Tony is finding the bed difficult to sleep in. Since the average Kazakh person is about 5'3" tall (yeah...), the beds are a little smaller than we are used to. With Tony being 6'5" he has his feet hanging off the bed and with me being 5'11" I am from headboard to foot board! We have a full kitchen, a full bath and a half bath, a bedroom, a living room, and a large living room. We are very happy to have air conditioning as the weather here is much more extreme than we originally thought. We were told that it would be hot but a dry heat... wrong.... It is very humid here. The temperature is about what we have in Michigan (80-90 degrees) but the humidity is high and sticky. We cannot walk out of the apartment without feeling like we are sweaty! However, there is a beach within a 5 minute walk form our apartment so if we wanted we could go swimming! The Ram Store (the main grocery store) is within walking distance as is the gym. We will be looking into the gym tomorrow or the following day. In our apartment right now we only have dial up (until Monday when we can get the cable people out here) so we apologize for not being able to download pictures yet. But we promise, once we get the modem going, the pictures will be up!

For the families who are about to travel, pack light! The baggage people have destroyed our suitcase so pack only about a weeks worth of clothing! Don't be afraid to dress as you please. We have worn shorts, jeans, tennis shoes (all of which we were told we should not bring because they do not wear them!). I advise the women to bring a pair of nice shoes! The women here dress in short skirts, dresses, pants, whatever, but they ALWAYS wear high heels. I brought a pair of flats and that has proven to work well. Especially while we are outside walking around the baby house! You can find the essentials here in Astana. Stuff like American brands are available so only bring travel size items. You don't need to worry about bringing your own toilet paper, it is available here. However, I recommend bringing travel size toilet paper (and lots of it) because you have to pay 20 tenge to use public bathrooms and they do not provide toilet paper. Same thing with the baby house! The bathrooms here are not too bad. The ones in restaurants, and such are nice, just like the ones in the hotels or the apartments. Today I experienced the "non lidded" toilet. Be prepared to stand to go! It was strange. THANKS GRAM! for the warning!

Now, Astana is a beautiful city and we would highly recommend it to people! The city itself is beautiful and the people here are proud of the city. Yesterday was "City Day." This was a celebration for Astana becoming the capital! The city was decorated and there were parades, concerts and the like going on. At about 11:30pm they lit off fireworks which was great because we missed the 4th of July at home in the States! Baheet (our Commonwealth coordinator) and Gulsana (our translator) took us out to enjoy the city.

Now, what you have all been waiting for...
Taylor Tomyris Nadine Van Sant!

That seems like a lot of names but they are all special! Taylor, because we wanted it, Tomyris, because it was her original name with a very special history, and Nadine because it is my mothers middle name and means hope in Russian! Tomyris was queen of the Massagetae, a Scythian people of Central Asia east of the Caspian Sea. She was famous for defeating and killing the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great during his invasion and attempted conquest of her country. We thought that this name was beautiful and we wanted to incorporate this into her name.

When we walked in to meet Taylor for the first time we were caught off guard. We had prepared ourselves for a toddler but instead we were referred an infant! We both believe that this is the right choice and that we can provide a wonderful life for her. Taylor was born Novemebr 14 2006 and will be 8 months old as of July 14th! She is very small for her age, but that is ok! She was born one week premature but has had no serious health problems. She seems to be a little bit developmentally delayed but that is to be expected of any child in an orphanage setting. She is a beautiful little girl and we are very excited to welcome her into our family.

We look forward to sharing more about our journey to begin our new family. More to come...

da sveedaneeya! (good-bye)

PS: Mark, we have yet to see goat head soccer. We did however see a headless, skinned goat body exiting the MALL today. And we thought we could find everything in our malls...

We are here!

2007-07-05T05:23:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it safely to Astana! The flights went well and we are in a hotel until tomorrow. We will make a longer post soon, as right now we are typing from an internet cafe. We met our daughter today and she is beautiful! We will be sure to post pictures with the next post!

Talk to you all soon!

The last post from America!

2007-07-02T19:27:00.000-04:00

Friends,

We depart tomorrow at 12:20pm from Detroit Metro! We will arrive in Astana, Kazakhstan on July 5th at 12:50am! We plan to update this blog as often as possible and will post as many pictures as we can.

So for our last weekend at home here is what we did: The true American Family Weekend!
Friday - we worked for the last time! It was kind of sad and joyous! Then we went to eat dinner at Hockeytown Cafe (for those of you that know me, you know I was in heaven because I live for hockey!), and then to the Detroit Tigers game. Unfortunately the Tigers lost but it was still worth going to. We drank our daiquiris and ate vendor food!
Saturday - We had a barbecue with Tony's family and had burgers and dogs! We had taco salad, tuna salad and fruit salad as sides! We then attempted to have a bonfire and watch fireworks! This was way too much fun!
Sunday - "Linner" (between lunch and dinner) with Mark, Deb, Stacey, Corrie, and Mike. We then went to see Oceans 13, which was pretty good.
Tonight- we plan to watch a movie for the last time for two months on our awesome TV and surround!

So that's that. That has been what we have done for the past few days, and we even managed to finish packing! So this is it until we have more time to post! We are not sure if we will be able to post from the airport in Istanbul, be we will try.

See you in Astana!

The days are getting busy!

2007-06-26T12:45:00.000-04:00

With only 7 days left before we leave there are many things that need to be done. We have been extremely busy with the time we have available. On Sunday we went and completed our registry (there is a picture with Tony at the desk) and we finished off the shopping list for packing supplies. Who would have thought that so much would be necessary! Last night we completed the baby's room, we put up the border, laid down the rug, put up the light switch cover, and hung decorations on the walls. The border was the most difficult as it was ultra slimy and it took Tony, myself, and my sister to put it up straight! But it was all worth it! It looks wonderful! The wicker rocking horse is a gift from my mother. It looks great in the room. Thanks Mom!

We are still in need of getting our vaccines. I have my Hepatitis A and my Tetanus done but I still need my Hepatitis B and my Typhoid. Tony, unfortunately, still needs all four! I feel bad as his arms will be hurting by the time he is done!

As far as packing goes, we have the baby's items completely packed and ready to go. Tonight and every night until Saturday we will be packing our belongings. It is a daunting yet exciting experience.

Our final day of work for the both of us will be this Friday. We plan to take Monday as a lets relax day. Since we leave from Metro Airport on Tuesday at 12:20pm, we will have my mom drive us to the airport and hold onto the car until we get back. This makes everything a little easier.

The list of "never ending things to do" seems to have an end to it. While there is still much to do, with every item that is knocked off we feel a little closer to being done. I already miss the nights of just sitting back and watching a movie!

Our plane tickets are booked!

2007-06-20T14:33:00.000-04:00

We recieved our LOI (Letter of Invitation) on our wedding anniversary - June 18th - and have booked our plane tickets. We have decided to use our local travel agent in Milford, MI and are leaving July 3rd at 10:30am. We will be flying out of Detroit Metro into JFK. From there we will fly to Istanbul and then to Astana. We were going to try to fly from Frankfurt to Astana but there are onyl three flights per week in to Astana from Frankfurt and we would not have been there on time. So we will be traveling for quite a while and when we get there we will arrive around 12:50am. We will keep you all up to date as we try to pack and repack! Woohoo! We are on our way!

Travel Dates!

2007-06-14T14:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday at 3:03pm, I was walking in throught the front door of our home when the phone rang. I could not make it to the phone in time and no message was left so I just believed that it was a solisitor. Boy was I wrong. Not thirty seconds later my cell phone rang and I saw that it was Tatiana our case manager! She had fantastic news. She told us that we need to be in Astana, Kazakhstan on July 5th! That is exactly three weeks away from today! So I called Tony all happy and crying and told him the good news. He was so excited and giddy he had a hard time concentrating on work the rest of the day. We told our parents and my sister last night, as well as Bethany. They were all so happy for us! So we sat down and talked about what needs to be done in order to be ready to leave. And there is a lot! We sat down with Stacey and discussed the ground rules for watching our home while we are away. She seems truely grateful for the opportunity to earn our trust.

This afternoon, still reeling with excitement, I had to call Tatiana one more time to confirm it was all really happening. I even told that I was afraid that she had mixed us up with another family. See, our Dossier was sent to the Embassy on May 23rd and was overseas apparantly before June. Tatiana explained that this did seem quick but that we are the "perfect parents." Kazakhstan officials look for couples who are young, earn decent money, and are truely "happy." Well, now doesnt that just describe us?!! I would have though so....

We will probably be running around like chickens with our heads cut off as we try to prepare for what is about to take place. Saturday we head up to Tawas to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary (this is such a great present!) so we will be enjoying ourselves 100%.

I look forward to postin gwith more news soon!

While we wait...

2007-06-05T16:39:00.000-04:00

The process of waiting is rather daunting. We sit here, in our home, without our paperwork and without a clue about how our paperwork is doing, and wait... We are, wait... I am getting antsy. I just want some idea of when we will travel. We have been spending our time preparing ourselves and making friends. I am a member of some forums on the internet and have made a couple of great friends. Michelle and Brook Burg are a family who have recently completed the process and they are our angels. If we have a question, they answer. Sarah and her hubby Andy are in the process with us (about 10 days behind us) and are also using Commonwealth. We have been in a contact a lot, asking questions of one another, and venting!

While we wait...

On May 19th we went to Tonys parents Mary and Terry's house for the annual lake garage sales. We ended up selling quite a bit, but what was really exciting was the fact that we were able to begin buying baby stuff! We bought a ton of clothes - note the pictures above! We have since been to many other sales and have been very lucky in our findings! All of the items are brand new or in excellent condition. We have also been looking while at local stores. However, the best sweaters we have are from our trip to Shipshewanna with Tony's folks. The picture with the two sweaters are from an Indian tribe who hand made these. They are absolutely beautiful and we cant wait to put them on her.

We have slowly been preparing for the travel. We are beginning to purchase the gifts for the workers in Kaz and we were able to find a few things while at Shipshewanna! It was great because we got the gifts for a good price. Plus, of we pack them with us, then we will have room for souvenirs on the return trip!

We have begun to make our travel list. It seems to keep getting longer and longer... The list shows us what we need to purchase, what we already have, and whether or not it has been packed. Although nothing as of yet has been packed! That would be silly! Tony did go out to Direct Buy and purchase some new suitcases so that we would be prepared. They should be arriving shortly. We have a few items that we need to pick up off the internet. Items such as Pedia Pack, Sea Bands and the like would be difficult to find in any of the stores around here. If anyone has any suggestions as far as items to bring please let us know. The whole international travel thing is rather intimidating!

So...

I finally have proof that Tony can get excited! You know how he never shows his emotions? Well, one day after work he came home with a few goodies. Turns out he stopped at a store and found the little stuffed giraffe that you see in the picture above! It was so cute. He even blushed a little! :) Aww, I love that man...

On the way to the Embassy!

2007-05-25T19:54:00.000-04:00

This morning we recieved notice that our Dossier was sent to the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington D.C. on May 23rd! This is great news! It can be there for about 2 to 6 weeks (hopefully the 2!) and then it is shipped to Kazakhstan!

This in turn means that we really need to get our butts in gear about the whole travel thing! Lists need to be made, items need to be bought and the gifts for the Kazak orphanage people need to be thought about- if not purchased before we leave! The house is not completely ready, but we will get there soon enough. Who knows, maybe things will fly by!

Then the question arises about what do we do with the house and our two furbabies? We cant leave Kody and Tommy by themselves for two months, and we cant split them up either... If anyone has any - and we mean any - suggestions, please let us know. We have entertained the idea of a house sitter, but in all truthful reality we (more me) are not that trusting. I would love to offer to someone we know but there in lies the problem. Most of the people we know are married, have kids, have thier own place, etc.

Thanks and hopefully we will have more good news shortly!

Done with Translation!

2007-05-22T17:59:00.000-04:00

Hurray!

Today Tatiana emailed me and let meknow that our Dossier was back from translation! It is now on its way to the Program Director to finish a few things. Here is a list of what needs to be done before it is off to the Embassy:
1. Print and Attach the translation to the Dossier.
2. Number the entire Dossier in a particular way.
3. Make three (3) copies of the entire Dossier.
4. 3 Hole Punch the whole Dossier.

Now I know that this sounds simple, but once the copies are made, that turns the Dossier into about 300 pages total -- and that is for one (1) copy! There is three of those!

After the Program Director is finished with it it is off to the Kazakhstan Embassy in New York. Hopefully they will be completed with it quickly. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Thank you all for the support!

Why is it?

2007-05-15T19:30:00.000-04:00

Since we have begun this process of adopting, 6 months now, I have found that everyone is always telling me that I will now get pregnant! Why is that? Six months in and I am still not pregnant. So for everyone who has yet to tell us, Yes, we know that I will now get pregnant!

Also, for those of you who have actually seen the hideous movie "Borat," yep, thats the country. That is Kazakhstan. However, the country is not vulgar and repulsive like the character Borat. Wow, that was a horrible movie! To those of you who have not seen the movie, Tony and I both recommend that you dont!

So here comes the fun stuff:
Vaccinations! YAY! Um, not really...
We have talked with our doctor about all the vaccines that the CDC recommends. The list is huge: Hepatitis A and B, Malaria, Rabies, Typhoid, and boosters for Tetanus and Measles. Now after talking with Dr. Lepley, she has said that we only need Hep A and the Tetanus Booster. Well thats good! However, insurance will only cover it if is for a regular immunization, not for international travel. So once the vaccine for Hep A is in, we can make an appointment and get this over with.

In other news, I got bit by another dog yesterday. I think they have it in for me. First it was Staycie's dog and now Shea, the dog where I nanny at. Here's the thing though, Shea didn't mean it. If anything I am to blame. The kids and Shea were wrestling and Shea got very hyper and the kids got scared. Well, I pulled Shea off and got bite - NOT DEEP!- on accident. So I went to the dictor's today, just to get checked, and all I had to do was get a Tetanus shot! Well hey! I needed that anyways! So there is one less shot! And for those of you who have never had one (like me) or have not had one in 10 years (you should get one every ten years)... they hurt! I am not talking about the needle, but the medicine itself! It burns and the injection site aches. So, at least I have that done! Cant wait for Tony to get his!

So the waiting is becoming just that... waiting. We have run out of things ot prepare for. We want to start to get the travel supplies ready but we have to get some finances in order first. THANK YOU so much to all of you that have helped! We could not be where we are without you!

Thanks for all the support, and please, keep it coming! We can use the emotional boost oevery once in a while! :)

Moving Forward!

2007-05-07T16:22:00.000-04:00

As of this morning the paperwork is complete and has been mailed! Thanks to Tony we are now officially "waiting!" He took time this morning to go out to Lansing to have the Letter of Good Standing apostilled and then sent it out. That letter, along with more money, had been sent to Commonwealth. YAY! We now wait for our LOI.

On an even happier note we have been working on getting the house in order. As you can see we have begun the babys room! Thank you to Bethany who helped to paint it. We had the furniture dropped off two weeks ago and recieved the bedidng on Thursday! It is really coming together.

The room seems to be getting completed rather easily. We have decided that we will be having our shower (Gotcha Party) once we return with our daughter. We have requested a girl between the ages of 6 and 24 months with no way of knowing prior to the trip the exact age. So we believe that this is a better way to do it, not only for the purposes of knowing sizes, toys, etc, but also it provides a great chance for our family and friends to meet her!

Thank you to everyone for all the support. Things are moving quickly now, so hopefully soon we will have her home!

Paperwork Problem...

2007-05-02T16:23:00.000-04:00

On Monday Tatiana called to let me know that there was a problem with the paperwork. It turns out that the Letter of Good Standing for our HomeStudy Agency was doubled notarized. Too bad that it would not work being double notarized. So I called Nancy, our social worker, and explained the problem to her. She then got in contact with Tatiana and resubmitted that one letter.

So here is the problem now... Nancy sent it to Tatiana. Tatiana then called me this morning to explain that when Nancy sent it to her it was not apostilled! So we will now have to go back out to Lansing and get this one document apostilled. We will then submit it and then the entire dossier will be sent to translation.

Oh the stress! I am not sure I want to knwo if anything else has to be redone. I should tell Tatiana to call Tony from now on! At least it is something simple that can be fixed easy enough.

On a happier note: we have the baby furniture! I will be posting pictures once the bedding gets here and the room has a more childish feeling. YAY!

We thank you all for the prayers and well wishes. They are helping us more than you know!

The Dossier has been sent!

2007-04-27T17:17:00.000-04:00

Today, after completeing the enormous amount of paperwork, we have mailed in our dossier! It is very hard to say goodbye to something that we have put so much time and effort into getting completed. To hand this over to someone other than ourselves, it is very nerve-racking! there are so many documents, pictures, and copies that it is hard to part with.

It is time to say goodbye to the Dossier!

It will arrive at Commonwealth Adoptions in Tatiana's hands Monday afternoon! Tatiana will check all the documents to make sure everything is correct and then it will be sent to translation. This can take anywhere from 10 to 12 days. It is then sent to the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington D.C. which can take 2 to 6 weeks. then this large packet will be sent to a Commwealth associate in Astana, Kazakhstan who will take the dossier to the Ministry of Foriegn Affiars of Kazakhstan to get the documents' apostiles legalized. After legalization it is registered into the database at the Ministry of Education and we wait for our LOI!

Our case worker Tatiana, Bless her heart, have given us a time frame of four months! Four months! Wow, that will come quick! We still have to get things ready here at home, pack, and save more money!

One Sheet of paperwork left!

2007-04-23T17:56:00.000-04:00

So as of today we only need one more sheet of paperwork. And who would have guessed it but it is the most important one! All we are now waiting on is our revised I-171H (Petition to adopt an Orphan) from the US Immigration Office.

Once we have this we can get all the documents taken care of! And then we are in the official waiting period.

Tomorrow we are supposed to be getting the furniture for the babys room! We will post pictures as soon as the room has some more to it! We have purchased the bedding set and are currently awaiting its delivery. We also have some decorations that we have collected throughout the past few months. So all in all we are very excited to get the room together! Oh, and many thanks to Bethany for helping me paint the room! It is so bright and cheery!