Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Moving Mountains

I wish I were at liberty to share all of the promising news of the last week. However, at this time, it is "safer" to keep it on the down low. That said, I do have a favor to ask. Thursday night (Friday in Bishkek) please pray, chant, meditate, do whatever it is you believe in - for the powers that be to agree on a positive resolution with regard to the current adoption delays. I, and about 62 other families, are praying there is serious good news to share next Monday!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

CALL TO ACTION - KYRGYZSTAN

PLEASE consider taking a few moments out of your day to support this CALL TO ACTION:

September 16, 2009

CALL TO ACTION: Kyrgyzstan

Dear Friends and Families,

Joint Council is working closely with Representative Bachmann's Office and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) to secure a meeting between the Kyrgyz Prime Minister and Members of Congress when the Prime Minister is in the United States next week. Members of Congress are very interested in meeting the Prime Minister in order to discuss ways that Congress and the United States Government can assist in positively resolving issues related to intercountry adoption, child protection and child welfare. Members of Congress plan to send a letter to the Kyrgyz Embassy requesting a meeting. In order to ensure that as many Congressional Offices have signed the letter requesting the meeting and are in attendance at the meeting Joint Council is initiating a Call to Action requesting the 65 families contact their Senators and Congressmen. Joint Council requests that all families contact their U.S. Senators and Congresspersons today, September 16th and and tomorrow, September 17 to ensure the letter arrives at the Kyrgyz Embassy by Friday, September 18th. The purpose of your call is to request they sign the letter being sent to the Kyrgyz Embassy and, if a meeting occurs, the Member of Congress attend the meeting.

Either today or tomorrow we request that you do the following:

1) Call both of your U.S. Senators and your representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives:

You can find your Senators' phone numbers and email address at www.senate.gov

You can find your Representatives' phone numbers and email address at www.house.gov

2) Include the following in your calls and emails:

"As constituents, I/we urge the Senator/Congressperson to sign the letter to the Kyrgyz Embassy sponsored by Rep. Bachmann's office and attend the potential meeting with the Kyrgyz Prime Minister should it occur.

If they have not heard about the letter or the potential meeting, ask them to contact Blair Bjellos from Rep. Bachmann's Office, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute or Joint Council at (703) 535-8045.

3) Send an email to everyone you called:

The email is important, but the phone call should be placed first.

Additionally, feel free to forward this request to your friends and family, asking them to contact their Senators and Congresspersons requesting they attend the meeting.

Thank you!

Best Wishes,

Rebecca Harris
Director of Programs and Services

Sunday, September 13, 2009

A possible break........

A couple of weeks ago a number of potential adoptive mamas, myself included, were contacted and interviewed by a reporter for EurasiaNet. Her intent was to tell the story of what the orphans of Kyrgyzstan and ourselves have endured over the past year. She did an excellent job.

Please click the link below and check out this article. It is one of the first truly honest pieces of information to be shared on a large scale. Please forward it to every senator, congressperson, friend, relative, and neighbor you can think of. Getting this story out there, into people's heads and hearts and hopefully onto the desks of influential Kyrgyz government officials could in some way help get the waiting children home to their families.

EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Kyrgyzstan: Adoption Reform Leaves Kyrgyz orphans, American families, in Limbo

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Sunday, September 6, 2009

Aztalan and Little Amerika

Today is one of those picture perfect Wisconsin summer days. We decided to head to Aztalan State Park, a mere 20 minutes from our house. Neither of us had been there since we were kids. It is one of the most incredible historical landmarks in Wisconsin. The vast acreage is so well-maintained (and WAY bigger than I remember). We walked most of the trails and hills and were pretty wiped out by the end! I just can't get over how beautiful and peaceful it is there. E really enjoyed it. It's such a great (safe) place to just let kids run; although he was begging to be carried toward the end. :)








After a lot of walking and a picnic lunch, we decided to head to Little Amerika - an amusement park also near our home. I've driven past it my whole life and was always a little.......apprehensive. Turns out it's a pretty nice, little place for small kids and while E wasn't too excited about most of the rides, he enjoyed the boats (on the condition I ride with him-thank God there are no pictures of me getting in and out of that thing!) Their train ride was really exceptional. As we were leaving, there was a man making balloon animals for the children. Well, E LOVES balloons, so he got in line. Each of the children would step forward and state their balloon animal request - bunny, puppy, balloon sword, etc.; and the guy was really quite good at making them. Until......E marches up and tells the man "I want a green number". Yup - my "little Einstein" felt an animal was far too juvenile for him - he wanted a number. Poor guy looked at us kind of dumbfounded and then decided he could probably handle making a number 8. E was happy, so all was good. :)


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

First Day of School

Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be sending my THREE year old off to school with a backpack full of actual school supplies. But....today I did it. E had a lot of anxiety about starting preschool; most of it surrounding the bus ride he has to take back to daycare when preschool is done. I wanted to drop him off on the first day so I switched shifts to be able to do that. I expected tears, but much to my surprise he ran off to play with his new friends and teacher and I was left to my own...tears, that is. He is growing up so fast. He is doing things that 2 years ago we never imagined he would be doing by now. I am one proud (and a little sad) mama today!

Oh, and when I got home and asked him how his first day of preschool was. He was totally nonchalant and cool about riding the bus.

He insisted we take his picture by his letters - this boy is obsessed with spelling!
Trying to run to the car before I could get his outside picture

My little baby....all grown up.