Don't Worry... Be Happy

Don't Worry Be Happy ... Now

OK.. 2 nd post today... finally got things moving with the Internet here. Weird day online... must be the connection?

After Tamara's nap our translator and driver picked us up to go toy shopping.

Below is a picture of 3 little figurine wooden dolls we picked up for Tamara.

Hand painted (non toxic paint), wood. Nice but pricey as all extras are in Georgia these days.

A pair of native Georgian dancers and a mini Mother of Georgia for her room ;o) Cute no?

Next stop... a middle upper class mini department store. They sell a little bit of everything.. reminded me of Yonkers in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin. A favorite during our visits there.

Tamara enjoyed looking at their toy department. She kept looking at "larger" toys... most of which I can buy in the USA for about half the $$$. We finally settled on a umbrella doll stroller which I can fold up and bring home with us. Tamara loves to put her doll and stuffed animals in her stroller and walk around the apartment... so this should be perfect for her.

I'm not sure she understands that we bought it for her so... tomorrow morning she'll find her dolly waiting for her in her new stroller. She does have two baby carriages waiting at home already. Tomorrows pictures should be cute. ;o)

After Toy shopping.. Nina suggested we stop by her place for coffee. We had a nice visit. Met her Mom, Nanny and baby girl Geya. Both very sweet women and the baby is adorable. Nice apartment... we sat outside on the covered terrace.. sipped Turkish coffee and were treated to ice cream and fruit. It was nice to visit her home. When traveling abroad the best way to really get to know and understand a culture is to mingle where they live. So glad we didn't stay at the Marriott ;o)

Something interesting happen with Tamara today. I think she may have become nervous about going to an apartment with a baby? We were sure she would play with Geya but it took her a long time to warm up to her. Odd as we know she loves little people and Geya is a doll and very friendly. I had the feeling that Tamara might have thought we were taking her to another Foster home? Below are pictures of Tamara and Geya together. You can see by the shy worried look on Tamara's face that her wheels were turning.

Here we tried to get them to play ball together. Geya was willing Tamara was leery.

Nina and Geya

Such a sweet baby.. she reminds me of the original Gerber baby in the US.

I nice relaxing visit.

When we left Tamara bounced back as soon as we were headed home and was thrilled when we arrived. It was yet another reminder of how much our little girl thinks things through. We'll have to be very careful the trip home doesn't flip her out. I think she thinks we actually live in this apartment? I can't wait to get her home and settled. Some stability should get rid of the little stresses in her life. I'm sure she's still confused.

Don't worry be happy baby girl.

~

Tomorrow afternoon... Bruce will stay here with Tamara while Nina and I do some shopping. It's pretty difficult to shop with Tamara as if I can't take a stroller with us she wants me to carry her. That makes it almost impossible to do any real shopping. Most stores are not set up for strollers here. Bruce is already wondering if Anna can stay after lunch and help in watching her...lol. A little nervous Daddy? lol... Actually not a bad idea as I was going to put her down for her 2 pm nap and then go. She should sleep till 4 pm and so it would be just a few hours without Mommy but she may flip out if she doesn't understand that I'm coming back? Anna can explain that to her. Tamara should be fine in Daddy's care for a few hours. Wish I had a video camera set up to capture it all for me. ;o)

~~

On the paper chase end. The person who is supposed to seal our court documents wasn't available Friday so we wait for Monday.

~~~

Say Hi To Tamara

Say Hi to Tamara

"1211 n7wXfro mmc tttttt8uiiiiiii=

aqsq11hux nbnnnbcbg 5reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

That's Georgian Baby Talk for "HI world.. who are you?"

While Daddy is in the shower I thought I'd teach Tamara how to blog.

Shhhh... don't tell Daddy ;o)

It also occurred to me this morning that someday it would be interesting for Tamara to know who followed along on her adoption journey.

So I'm sending a shout out to all you secret admirers ;o)

Please send Tamara a message via blog comment.

Name... first is fine, location and anything else you'd like her to know about you.

As you know I plan on turning this blog into a bound book for her.

It will become part of her history, her past, her baby book, her life story.

Won't you be a part of it?

Where in the World are you?

~

We're going out in a bit.. Tamara is now napping so I have to get her up. Yeah... I started this post after breakfast... 5 hrs ago. Mommy hood gotta love it. :o)

~~~

Mother of Georgia

Mother of Georgia

OK... I know you're all wondering where I find the time to do this.

And why there are so few pictures of Mommy. Well I'm a night owl and have been running on fumes since we got here. Interesting part of it is ... When I wake up before Tamara all I can think of is that first cup of coffee... think of until Tamara wakes up. The amazing thing is once I see her I wake up QUICK ;o) Suddenly I turn into wonder woman. It's really weird.

No aches, no pains, no need for sleep.

Tamara seems to think her mom is the Energizer bunny. She keeps me going and going and going. I really need to take a count of her potty breaks. Some are real potty breaks and some are "if a tinkle a tiny tid bit.. mommy will wipe my bottom and I get to play with the water when I wash my hands" potty breaks. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference until we're in there.

She usually has a pretend potty break when Mom sits down and puts her feet up for more then 30 seconds. lol.

So as you can imagine I have very little down time right now while she's awake.

When she sleeps I get to have adult conversation with Bruce. OK... stop laughing. When Daddy goes to bed I hit the computer and try to stay on top of things. Sometimes it's fairly smooth and other times it can take hours. Like last night trying to get the video loaded was a nightmare that kept me up till 5 am. Tamara decided to wake up at 8 am..... Let the games begin.

~

Our typical day starts around 8 am.

Tamara is supposed to sleep until 9 am.

I change her, wash her, do her hair, brush her teeth. potty break

Breakfast with Tamara finished 10 am... potty break

Play Time co mingled with potty breaks until 12 pm

Anna arrives at 12 noon ... potty break

Lunch until 1pm...potty break

Tamara Nap 2 to 4 pm or Power nap 2-3pm (if we're running out)...potty break

Dinner 6 pm-7 pm....potty break

Play time 7 - 8 pm ... potty break

Bath Time 8 pm and prepare for bed... potty break

8:45 in crib if Mommy timed it right? ... potty break

Tamara asleep by 9-9:15 pm.

Adult conversation... lol... can't believe I have a schedule for this ..lol 9:30-11 pm

Daddy goes to sleep ... 11 pm

I blog and try to keep up with my emails. 1 am - 5 am depending

Shower and Go to bed 1:30- 5:30 am depending

~

Now I am in awe of my friends who have been doing this for years.

Most for multiple children.

Now I appreciate why one of my friends when asked what she wanted for her Birthday said "all I want is to shave my legs" hence the late night showers. Certain things I refuse to give up.. but now I can understand how it could happen ;o)

I guess I'm really starting to feel like a Mom the last few days.

Wiping, washing, feeding, wiping, washing, feeding.

There was a moment yesterday when I looked in the mirror after putting her to bed and I noticed a food stain on my shirt along with some baby cornstarch. I remembered where the food stain came from. I had taught Tamara how to spit (yeah I did...lol) for tooth brushing purposes.

She has been swallowing the rinse water and I didn't think that was such a great idea. Anyway.. she my little 5 star princess spit while I was feeding her some fruit yogurt. I was more concerned with her lack of table manners at that moment then the stain on my shirt. Yeah... welcome to Motherhood. I'm pretty sure I nipped the spitting issue as she's only doing it in the sink now. Thank God!!! ;o)

~

As for the pictures... I'm usually the one who takes the pictures. I've always liked photography... when I see a Kodak moment and go for it. There's also the issue of quality of the photos others take. Yes... I'm vain. I'll admit it. If it's not semi flattering it's not going to be seen.

This is the first trip ever that I didn't over pack for. I was told everyone wears dark colors in the former Soviet countries. Mostly black. True they do wear a lot of black here but I really could have brought better more interesting, more flattering clothing. Georgian woman for the most part dress tastefully. Sometimes I feel under dressed. A first for me. I don't like it.

My advise to the future adoptive Moms or tourist going to Georgia is wear what you're comfortable in. Make it tasteful and don't worry too much about it.

No matter what you wear they will be able to tell you're not Georgian and honestly I don't think it matters much to them.

~
Below... Tamara and Daddy.

It's official... he's in ;o)

Tamara loves her Daddy and as you can see in this photo she has him wrapped so tightly around her little pinkie it's really cute to watch her in action with him.

Today we went to the GOLD Market.

I bought Tamara a "Queen Tamara" Georgian Cross pendant and chain.

Still haven't figured out what the Kt. quality is. I asked but they don't seem to understand the concept of 14,18,24 kt. here? One person said it's 999 , one said 555?

Looks like 24 to me? Everyone claims it's the best in the world?

Anyone out there have any knowledge of Georgian gold?

I also picked up a ring and earring set for Mommy. Very pretty.

I was interested in several other pieces but when we asked everyone of them said $500 US ?

I think that was the price for being an American? Maybe... maybe not but that's the feeling I got. I found it interesting that they didn't give me the price in Lari? Were they hoping for US dollars? I really didn't want to go over budget on this trip. If I knew what our return date was I could perhaps justify another bobble or two?

The Gold Market is a fascinating place. I was going to try and sneak a photo but then I noticed the guards holding some sort of riffles and I thought better of it. I imagine they have rules about photography in the Gold Market.

~

Yes we're still waiting to hear when we can leave. Apparently we're waiting for the official judges decision in writing and it was supposed to be today? Then there's some official that needs to sign it. Since today is Friday we may not know until early next week.

~

The thought of leaving Georgia is bitter sweet for us. The people we have met have all been very nice to us. And the staff has become sort of an extended family. So as much as we know we have to go home and need to go home to start our new life with Tamara..

leaving Georgia will not be easy.

~

After the Gold Market we decided to go visit "THE MOTHER OF GEORGIA"

She sits high up on a hill. A traditional wine cup in one hand and a sword in the other.

The wine to welcome her guests and the sword to warn her enemies.

I like her... she reminds me of what I have always said.

"I can be your best friend or worst enemy ... the choice is yours."

A Happy Hostess and protector of those she loves. lol

Neat concept, smart choice.

Below is the view from up above.

This is what The Mother of Georgia sees while welcoming and protecting her children.

Here's The Mother... she's pretty big as you can see.

Very nicely done.

Unfortunately I was unable to get a shot from the front as I wasn't willing to hang off a cliff to do it but I think you get a pretty good sense of her.

In this picture you see the sword she uses to warn her enemies in her right hand.

Wine cup in her left.

Lee, Tamara, Anna and Geo (not sure of spelling) our driver.

Found out today he's a retired cop... no wonder he's so protective. ;o)

These two happen to be a Father / daughter team. They're sweet together.

We enjoy their company... even though Geo don't speak English.. Anna has been able to translate enough that he even laughs at our jokes..lol.

Tamara eating AGAIN.

I don't know where so puts it but she's been eating more then we have. She loves trying new flavors and textures. This little 25 lb peanut can really pack it away. She always finishes everything on her plate. Will ask for more and snacks constantly. Could it be an orphanage thing? Children who come from an environment where food is scarce do over eat initially and do hide / hoard food for a while. Unsure where or when their next meal is coming from? Or is she about to have a growth spurt? They say children will binge eat just before they have a growth spurt? Hum... Guess we'll figure that out when we get home? One trip to Costco should convince her we won't run out anytime soon. lol.

Here she's eating the last piece of Anna's Mom's Bean Bread. Shouldn't have left the plate on the table. Anyway... she loves this stuff. I have to get the recipe so I can make it for her at home.

Tamara is doing very well... She has changed so much since we got her.

Even her hair is now shinny... when we got her it felt somewhat dry and brittle?

Change in diet? Or change in hair products? Must be the LOVE!!!

~~~

Tbilisi

Tbilisi

I thought I'd post a few pictures of sites in Tbilisi we took while driving around yesterday.

We never made it out of the house today. Just as we were getting ready to leave a wicked storm kicked up. Very very windy, rather chilly and rain. ;o(

Tamara didn't seem to mind.. she was happy to have us stay home and play.

I'm in the process of trying to upload some adorable video footage.. for some reason we're having real issues posting video from Georgia? Hopefully we'll figure it out.. if not we'll try again from Home (stateside).

Anyway... Tbilisi

A very interesting place, nice people. We tried the wine last night. One of the things Georgians are known for is their wine making. Excellent wine! Seriously if you find it locally grab it! If not ask your local liquor store if they can get it for you. It's that good.

Unfortunately I doubt we will be able to bring any home with us. With all the FAA security / customs regulations and the risk of breakage it would be a real challenge.

Below is a Georgian wooden balcony.. something else they're known for.

Beautiful.

The New Church

Can be seen from most points in Tbilisi.

The Georgian people are very religious and take great pride in their many wonderful churches.

When we visited "the Mothers" church. I was told it was made for women but man are allowed. Tamara had a rather odd reaction. When we walked out of the church she really really wanted to go back in. It was as if she had a magnet in her tiny tush?

More of those pretty balconies

Fountains every where. I'd love to have this one in our front yard. lol

The veggie market at yesterday's Bazaar.

Hopefully we can go back before we leave? I'd love to see what else they have. I especially loved the fact that it was for the locals. Not a tourist trap. It was odd seeing things like a woman selling bras and whole chickens. On display together? I guess you sell what ever works?

~~

I'd just like to clarify something as I did get several emails regarding the conditions at the orphanage. Over all the condition, cleanliness of the facility was better then I had expected. The baby section was very clean as were the children from what I could see.

The 3-5 year olds area was less sterile of an environment. Yes I really wanted to give them all a bubble bath. But we need to understand that although the conditions are not perfect the staff is limited due to lack of supplies and lack of staffing. All the children had at least one nanny assigned to their room. What these children need is one on one time for that you need staff or volunteers. In the orphanage and baby house there are children who have parents and are not available for adoption. This is due to lack of financial stability in the birth parent home. Several have regular visits from Mom, Dad or both. Some have parents that placed them there for safe keeping and have not returned to sign the papers giving up their parental rights.

This problem is not exclusive to Georgia. It happens in all countries including the USA.

Aside from adopting one yourself. The best way to help these children from a far is to keep the donations of supplies coming. Get involved .. whether in Georgia or some other country. The needs of the children are all alike. They all need a safe enviroment and someone to love them.

Working with an agency that has a constant flow of parents going over seas is often times the most secure way to donate. They are familiar with the orphanage staff and their needs. The adopting parent can usually provide some documentation in the form of video and or pictures upon their return. If going over seas.. why not volunteer your services? Help them with repairs, offer to cuddle babies, play with toddlers and older children. Make them feel loved .. wanted.

If you think charity starts at home? Do something state side for our children. There are many that would be thrilled to get to know you.

Remember there is no shame in being poor, ill or an orphan. But there is shame however in knowing you can help a child and choosing not to.

~~~

We Are The World

We are the world... we are the children.

Today started off with fun and games with Tamara. Here she plays with Daddy.

She makes him lay down on the floor so she can cover him up with a baby blanket. Every time he tried to get up she pushed him down. And then finally she helps Daddy up.

Pretty cute action shot I thought... these two are really starting to bond.

Soon after Anna came over to serve our lunch and then Nina our translator came by.

Great news... Tamara's test results all came back negative.

Another few days and we should know when we're coming home.

Hopefully tomorrow we get the written judges decision and then the birth certificate, Georgian passport and then we're off to the US embassy again to get her Visa to the US of A. ;o)

~~

After lunch we left with Nina .. met our driver downstairs and went to the bank to cash and convert the fundraising money into Georgian Lari. In Georgia American Express travelers checks are treated as checks and not cash as we had experienced in other parts of the world. So every time we do this it's an hour long project especially when we require substantial amounts of cash.

After the bank we were taken to the Bazaar. A very interesting market / primitive shopping center.. which I'd actually like to revisit. Since it isn't very kid friendly we left Tamara at the apartment with Anna. We also didn't want to take her to the baby house / orphanage as we felt it might be too disturbing for her.

Below is a picture of the shop we purchased items to donate to the baby house.

Our driver and translator box up 79 packages of baby wipes.

You can see the case is wiped out... pardon the pun. ;o)

Nina & I box up cases of baby bottle nipples.


And more nipples

The shopkeeper called her supplier and they met us in the back alley with a truck filled with diapers. I'm pretty sure we made their day. ;o)

Taxi

Had to hire another car to help us deliver the goods.

The Baby House Entrance in Tbilisi

Inside wall of fence which surrounds the baby house gated property.

Unloading the donations.

Over 4,000 disposable diapers ( I lost count)

Cases of bottle nipples, baby wipes, baby powder and safety Q-tips

Our facilitator Mariza on the phone. She arranged our visit.

An amazing woman who is not only efficient but has great leadership skills... her team is in constant contact with one another and seem to know what our needs are even before we do. She is also genuinely concerned about all the children as is the rest of her team.

We're in Good Hands. ;o)

Bruce helps unload the cars.

The special needs ward.

I decided not to post most of these pictures as I felt it might be upsetting to my young nieces, nephews and friends children who are following our journey. There are several children who need very special care. Two need surgery. One little girl has a feeding tube. Has had surgery in Germany and needs another. Her father is hoping to be able to do this for his daughter but is unable due to his financial situation. Very sad. Cute little girl with mile long eye lashes. Another little boy needs hand surgery. His hands are deformed and he'll need the surgery to function.

I know there are many of you with soft hearts and deep pockets. If anyone is interested in sponsoring these children so they can get the surgery needed please contact me. I will put you in contact with the right people.

Bruce in The Baby room... he's really getting the hang of this baby stuff...lol

Kids are adorable & healthy.

A cute little cutie pie. About 6 months old. Just started teething.

One of their wonderful Nannies holding another cutie.

Toddlers... so cute

This sweet little boy has a wonderful attitude and is so cute. Unfortunately he was born with no arms. When he smiles the room lights up.

Feeding room

Perfect little baby girl ... abandoned at birth. There are several like her.

The opportunity to adopt one of these is usually reserved for natives of Georgia as it is in most countries.

Infant cribs. Most have been a donation. Very pretty in person.

Really neat swinging cradle... housing two twin boys. Going into foster care soon.

The twins.. 2 boys.. don't let the pink fool you. They put on whatever is clean. Colors are not gender specific in orphanages.

World's largest crib... well not really but it's really big.

Little boy with ball.. very sweet.

More babies

even more babies...

And more

Lollipops were a huge hit.

Nina gives a pop to a little cutie in the changing room.

Play area and equipment.

Entrance to 3-5 year olds.

3-5 year olds main entrance.

It was suggested that I bring 300 lollipops. I wasn't really sure why until now.

This was probably the most bazaar experience of my life.

The children all came running with hands out.

The children all sweet and beautiful. Candy is a rare treat for them.

This little girl is 5 years old. She is about the size of an American 1 year old.

She has a growth hormone deficency. Very cute... very intelligent and has a great personality.

I was called Dah-da (mommy) about a dozen times.

As these children get older they understand the concept of family.. It's heart breaking that they may never find theirs. :o(

cute little boy

Cute no?

Their toy shelf

A sister for Tamara?

Dinner time. Cereal and water. All the children drank out of the same cup. Eeek!

Little girl needed help with her overalls.

Nina helps put the bibs on.

7 kisses and a dozen Mama(s)

Although the staff is working very hard to make a difference in their lives.

We were actually surprised ... Very limited resources but they do the best they can with what the have.

~~

We'd like to Thank ALL the Friends, Family and The United Methodist Church of Andover for your generous contributions towards making this day such as great success.

It was a lot of fun doing this. As you know I'm a shopper and nothing is more fun then walking into a shop and watching the expression on someone's face when you say... we'll take it ALL. :o)

Nothing is more fun then seeing the expressions on on the baby house staff and children's faces when they realize you're not kidding. The joy is priceless.

So I would like to personally Thank each and every one of you. We brought joy to the world together... something we need more of. Something that seems to be harder and harder to achieve these days. It was an opportunity to reach out to children half way across the world and let them know that someone far away thinks they're precious.

They truely are precious!

~~

When we returned to the apartment... Tamara was thrilled to see us. She wouldn't let me put her down for at least an hour. After seeing where she spent the first 2-1/2 years of her life is really hit home. What we were able to do for her... how many people saw that special something she has that made it all possible. We are truely blessed to have found her.

Lay down Daddy. I want to play.

Bath time

Can I come out now?

The End to another perfect memorable day.

~~~