Yogurt it is!

Today was a beautiful day in Taraz. The sun was out and the temperature was in the upper 40s. We just returned from a long walk to the “bazaar” which was just a lot of people selling a LOT of stuff. We did happen to find a nice little dried fruit and nut stand and are currently snacking on pistachios and dried apricots. Yesterday we began our official bonding period with Noah Timur. We were in a room with 2 other adoptive parents all of us playing with our little ones. The room was so very warm and very stuffy. The children are brought to us all bundled up. Timur was again wearing his pink quilted pants. He had on 2 shirts and also a button up jacket AND a stocking cap. The poor little guy was sweating. I did take off the hat and unbutton his jacket but the orphanage care takers are not too fond of stripping the children of their layers. They may catch a cold! We had a nice visit and he was content. He still cries on and off but nothing major and there are hardly any tears. We think it’s a fake cry.

This morning again we left for the baby house. Because our usual room wasn’t available, we went upstairs to a small area right by his room where he eats, sleeps and plays. While our translator asked for Timur we could peek in and see where he spends his days. It was a big room with 2 very large cribs. The cribs had 3-4 babies in them. Some were standing (facing a tv that was blaring) and some sitting. Several of them smiled at us as we peeked in. They were so cute. The room had many toys, walkers, and swings and was quite clean I thought. A woman came into the room from around the corner and she was carrying naked little Timur. She put on a diaper (otherwise he doesn’t wear one…not sure how that works), dressed him and brought him over. First thing I noticed was that he wasn’t wearing his quilted pink pants or so many layers. Also he smelled good- like soap. Of course he cried a bit but again, not too hard. We played, read books and had a number of photos taken. Photos need to be taken each day to show the courts we did complete the mandatory bonding period. Today we thought we would try feeding him something- yogurt. I asked what he eats each day and was told “porridge”. I asked what exactly she meant by porridge and she said it was some meat, potatoes and veggies- all mixed and mashed up. Yogurt would be a nice treat new however, we were instructed more than once to make sure it was not cold yogurt. It needed to be room temperature. They think cold foods or drinks will cause sickness, sore throat, etc.. He loved the yogurt and we became good friends! When he was finished, I put the spoon in the yogurt cup, set if off to the side and he cried and cried! So yogurt it is! We will bring more tomorrow. When it was time to leave, a woman came to take Timur back into his room and placed him in the crib- standing up!! Hanging onto the side, he walked around his crib batting a toy on the side. We waved good-bye and will look forward to another visit tomorrow.

Again, I must say that he is a sweet boy. There is something strange, though, about this idea of a bonding period. It doesn’t feel like there is a lot of pressure or that it’s forced, just different. I love spending time with him, getting to know him but I just wish I could be doing it in the comfort of our own home with the rest of our family-- doing life. I know that will come soon enough so for now, we thank God for him, for his life and for this opportunity to experience Kazakhstan, his native land.