Wyatt's First Snow

Last Wednesday was a great day for Mom and Wyatt...a snow day! As you can see by the pictures, we got MAYBE 1/4 of an inch of snow, but enough for school to be out for the day. No complaints here. We started with a trip to McDonald's for some hotcakes, sausage and playland fun. I'm pretty sure we are one of the very few people that have been to Ronald's playland at 7 am! From there it was off to the Y and then Kroger, which means cookie time to Wyatt. All that and we were home by 10. Whew. Bundle up and out we go for some snow time. Due to the fact that there was, well, no snow in the grass, we had to settle for the deck. Wyatt loved to push it off of the deck and of course he had to taste it. He would have stayed out all day, but mom was freezing so we had to call it quits for outside time. He is still pointing at the door wanting to go out constantly. There's a chance for some snow this week, so maybe we'll both be in luck again.
Wyatt is changing daily. He's gone from baby to a little boy, which happened so fast. He's talking like crazy...mostly words that only he understands. His vocab consists of mama, papa, cookie, Clay (the babysitters son), ball, bath and his new word, car. I'm sure in his mind there are much more, but mom and dad haven't figured them out yet. We're still stuck in the taking off the left shoe and sock phase as well and the random screaming. We're working on those.
We'll be sure to post when/if we get to use the new sled that Aunt Kim bought...do your snow dances!

KZ Packing List

We've been communicating with lots of families that are in the process of adopting thier children from KZ. One of the most common questions is, "What do I pack?". We, of course, had that concern and found a wonderful packing list on another adoptive family's website (www.thelockwoodhome.com). Here is what we used with some additions that we've included. Thank you to the Lockwood's for providing this very helpful information to us so we can share it as well.

FOR THE BABY
Snugli (or other front pack)
Umbrella Stroller (not easy to find or cheap to buy in Kazakhstan)
Diaper Bag (backpack diaper bag worked great)
Formula dispenser
Rice Cereal
Plastic infant spoons
Plastic Bowl with lid
Bottles (with disposable liners)(the Avent system bottles were readily available in Astana and we ended up switching when we ran out of liners)
Bottle Liners if needed
Pacifiers
Pacifier strap (works great to clip to toys too!)
Medicines (Tylenol, Motrin, gas meds, cold/cough meds, teething meds)
Toys (quite ones, crinkle book, photo book, interactive toys)
Changing pad or disposable changing pads (the brand name is Pee Wee pads)
Roll of plastic bags (found in baby aisle either “Diaper Duck” or the red ones, we used them all the time)
Clothes (warm but comfortable clothes, onsies are very helpful and versatile)
Hats (every child in Kazakhstan wears a hat at all times)
Formula (We bought this there so it would be what he was used to)
Diapers (we bought these there as well because we did't know what size he would wear...the diapers there are Pampers)
Diaper wipes (these are also available there...we found lots of familiar brands)
4-5 Blankets
Bibs
Fingernail clippers
Diaper rash medicine
Baby shampoo (travel size is plenty)
Burp cloths or washcloths

FOR YOU
Dark clothes (they are a must and will help you to not stick out as much...100% cotton clothes will never be the same after the KZ washers...we recommend something synthetic)
Comfortable walking shoes (slip-ons are great because there are no shoes allowed indoors - no sneakers)
Black blazer (works well for court and for a cool jacket in the warmer weather)
Some comfortable clothes for around the apartment/hotel
Clothes that wash and dry easily without a drier (test your clothes before you leave)

FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP
Travel TP (when you need it you will be thankful you have it)
Medicines (Advil, allergy meds, Pepto, Imodium, Tums, first aid cream, bug bite cream, etc.)
Bug repellant
Toiletries (we found these to be about the same price in Astana as here...you may want to save the space and weight)
Compact umbrella
Power converters
Digital camera (we couldn't have lived without it either)
Laptop (if you can it is a must!)
Blank CD-R's to back-up all your pictures
Rope and clothes pins (there are no driers)
Bottle/can opener
Notebook and pens (do as much journaling as possible)
Games (we found that it was nice to sit and play a game like cards or yahtzee to break up the evenings)
Lots of DVD's!
A fitted sheet
We brought some Hershey's to give to the staff there...they loved it.
An extra long telephone cord for internet use
A "Shout" or "Tide" pen

Happy New Year, Happiest Old Year

Make video montages at onetruemedia.com

To say that we were blessed in 2006, would be a gross understatement. Most importantly, we were blessed with our son...a miracle. Our lives are full of great family and friends. Thanks to the folks at Little Miracles International (our international adoption agency) and Adoption Assistance (our home study agency in Kentucky), our journey to bring Wyatt home was smooth and fulfilling.

Thank you to all that followed us on our journey. We couldn't have done it without you. Please take a moment to watch the video created by Michelle. We hope you enjoy it.