Oct 31- Happy Halloween! 1:00 pm Friday... hi everyone - not much of an update, we're doing great and settling into more of a routine. Angelique is an amazing child - she's affectionate and happy, she rolls well with all the changes and has lots of fun in her new surroundings. We're beyond thrilled being with her!

I thought I'd take this opportunity to post a few new photos from trip #2- The war memorial in Panfilov park:

And here's our apartment:

We'll put more pics up another time, including some since we've been home!

take care and have a spooooooooky Halloween!

N&P&A

Oct 20- one month custody, 2 weeks at home........ahhh

Oct 20- Monday 2:30 pm - hi everyone! It's unbelievable to me that this is the one-month anniversary that we've had Angelique with us full-time. It seems both like it just happened yesterday, and also that she's been with us forever, it just feels so right!

We've had a fantastic first 2 weeks at home - ok well the 2nd week was fantastic, but the first week was very good too- we were so preoccupied with getting a sleeping and eating routine going that we didn't notice much else going on (LOL). Once that got settled (it took a full 8-9 days to get over the jetlag), then all has been great! Angelique is doing wonderful and seems to enjoy and have fun with all the new things to see, do, smell, eat etc.

She LOVES seeing the family, which is such an amazing feeling. We had thanksgiving dinners with both families and she was happy, playful and friendly with everyone! We've also had visits with a couple of neighbours with young kids and that has been fun. We'll start to see more friends and their families in the next while, now that we're feeling more settled.

Hope everyone's doing well and enjoying the fall weather!
take care
N&P&A

Oct 9 - home sweet home!

Oct 9 Thurs 11:00 pm Winnipeg time (yay!) Hi everyone! Well we made it home safe and sound! Angelique did great on the planes, sleeping a bit on each flight. She was restless during the Frankfurt to Toronto leg but we walked (ok she ran) up and down the aisles and it helped pass some of the time. She and Paul both fell asleep in Toronto airport (on the floor), and she barely woke up being carried onto the plane. She was completely out again before takeoff and we even had to wake her when we landed in Wpg.

Even being sleepy and disoriented, she did great with the wonderful welcoming party who greeted us at the airport, complete with signs and toys for her - thank you to everyone, we were very touched! Angelique continues to amaze us with how well she takes in all the changes - she looked at everyone in the face and smiled - we're so proud of her!

At home, Angelique looked around at everything and was talking a mile a minute as soon as everyone left - she wasn't sure about Farley at first but got over it pretty quickly and now wants to pet him all the time, saying 'Masack?' (cat?). He's doing better with her than expected, letting her pat him and not running away. We got her to sleep in our bed just after midnight and she got a good few hours, waking us at 4:30.

The last few days have been wonderful and sooo full - A sleeps in her own bed already, but only for a few hours at a time (which means so do we) and her schedule is still upside down from the jetlag (she wants to nap at night and have a long sleep during the day), but we're working on it and know it will take some time to get her caught up.

We've had lovely visits with small groups of our family at a time, and she recognizes everyone from the photos we brought with us on the trip, it's so cute! We pull out the photo album and she points to each person's picture, says their name then looks at them in person as if saying 'oh it's you, I get it now!'

Well that's all for now - off to bed........ have a great weekend, we know we have lots to be thankful for as we celebrate Thanksgiving!

take care
N&P&A

Oct 5 - one more before we leave for HOME!!!!!

Oct 5 – Sunday 2:30 pm – Still rainy and cool last few days – seems somehow fitting, feels like we’ve gone through almost every season during our 2 trips to KZ – I wouldn’t be surprised if it snowed today, just to complete the circle!

Hi everyone – we are ¾ packed and almost ready to go HOME!!! We’ll throw the last few things into the bags after Angelique goes to sleep tonight, before we’re picked up around 10 pm to go to the airport. Can’t TELL you how excited we are!!! Even Angelique is pointing to things with maple leafs on them and saying CA-NA-DA, like she knows she’s heading home too!

Too funny that you ran into Jen and Bert in Frankfurt, Kevin – we were so hoping to see you there ourselves and it sounds like we would have if we’d gotten onto the same flights they did. Oh well – next time we’re all world travelers (ya right, like I’m ever leaving home again)…..

Well as I type this Paul and Angelique are both sleeping – I’m too wound up to nap. Poor Paul was up most of the night keeping the power going (we’ll be very glad to be away from having one fuse for the whole place, and having that fuse be 100 years old). When everyone’s up we’ll go for a walk, and hope to meet up with a couple of newly arrived families from Winnipeg, for a quick hello/goodbye.

Thanks again for the comments emails and calls, they’ve really meant so much and helped us to stay strong. We are so lucky to have the family and friends that we do!

See you soon!
Take care
Lots of love
N&P&A

Oct 2 - seriously, is it really October already???

Oct 2 – Thurs 2:30 pm. Rainy and cool last couple of days but the sun just came out in the last hour. Hi everyone – we’re still here and doing great. Angelique is getting more and more comfortable with us but certainly getting bored with the lack of space and variety. We’ve picked up a couple of new things for her for the plane ride home, which will hopefully help keep her entertained- thanks for the suggestions, please keep them coming if you know of something that works!

Speaking of plane rides, we’ve confirmed that we’ll be home on Monday Oct 6 – yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! We leave here in the middle of the night (2:00 am) and after a couple of long layovers, we’ll arrive home Monday evening.

Our friends Carole/Bernard/Sasha and Jen/Bert/Ruslan all leave for Canada tonight/early tomorrow morning – we wish you safe and smooth flights guys, we’ll miss you! We definitely hope to keep in touch with the friends we’ve made here; there’s something indescribable about the bond that happens when you experience together something as life changing as what we’ve all done this summer.

Our daily routine has remained the same –Angelique wakes us up at such ungodly hours as 6-6:30 (it’s still dark!), then we play, have breakfast, have a bath, more playing, then a nap around 11:30-1:30. Then we have lunch, play some more, go for a walk, come back and play, have dinner, more play then go to bed – Paul and I have sometimes crashed right after A does! Living in a one-room apartment (with a separate bedroom, thank goodness) has given a whole new meaning to ‘togetherness’, and we can’t wait to see what Angelique does with the space in our house! Wow! Look – another room! :-)

A couple of times we’ve mixed it up and walked in the morning instead of /as well as the afternoon, but mostly this is how our day looks. It’s been working OK so we don’t want to mess with it too much! I’m nervous about the plane rides as it will throw such a wrench into this plan, and we’ll be travelling for approx 33 hours total, but we know she’s a trooper and we’ll all start a new plan when we’re home – ahhhhhhhhh home!

That’s all for now – hope you’re having a good week! Thanks for the comments and emails, we sooo appreciate it!
Take care, lotsa love
N&P&A

P.S. Kathryn – yes please book us for a pedicure ASAP!! My toes have held up pretty well but will certainly need attention soon!