Christmas Day!

It's Christmas time around here!!!

First Visit with Dr. Kika

Madi had her first doctor's appointment with her pediatrician, Dr. Silvia Perez-Pascual, known to us as "Kika" or "Kikosa". The doctor said Madi looks healthy and ordered blood tests just to confirm that everything is okay. Madi was fond of her new doctor and gave her lots of smiles!

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Weighing in at 20 lbs!

Madi gets her ears pierced!!! Yes, cubans get their daughter's ears pierced very early. Well, although I was born in the USA, there are times wen I am most definitely Cuban and this is one of those times! My little girl looks so adorable with her earings!

It's great to be home!

We arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday, November 17, 2007. Madi is finally home!!!!

She had quite a reception at the airport! Everyone was so excited to finally meet the little one they had seen in soooo many pictures! It was a wonderful arrival.

Madi did really well as far as the travel! She slept for the entire first 7 hour flight and for some of the 2nd 9 hour flight. She fussed a little bit at times, but no crying :-)

It's great to be home!!!

Our Last Day in Almaty

Finally, a day without rain! Our last day in Almaty was a very nice day! We went sightseeing around town with our driver, Andrei.

We went to a park dedicated as a War Memorial.

There was a beautiful Cathedral in that same park.

Our little Madi slept like CRAZY today! We hope that doesn't mean that she won't be sleeping on our flight home...hmmmm.
Andrei took us for a drive to the mountains. Very beautiful. Very cold!

It is almost time for us to go to the airport!!! Yippppeeee!! Although we are not really looking forward to our long trip, we are so looking forward to finally being home together with Madi!!! We can't wait to see everyone at home and Madi can't wait to meet you all!!!

And so it all began...

Video clip of Alex and Madi

It was another rainy day here in Almaty. The bad thing about that is that we have not been able to see much of the city. The good part is that it has given us tons of time to just hang out with Madi and play! It's nice to have so much free time to bond with her. Today was our appointment at the Embassy where we were given Madi's paperwork so that we are able to leave Kaz and enter the US with her as our daughter! We now have Madi's birth certificate listing us as parents and Madi's Kazakh passport. She is automatically a US Citizen.

You all are not going to believe this, but we did not take a single picture today! It was just one of those things. We took the camera when we went out to the Embassy, but left the camera battery back at the hotel. With all of the things you have to take when you go out with a baby, it's a miracle we made it out at all. I had forgotten what it was like...remember the diapers, wipes, rash ointment, bottles, formula, water for mixing the formula, baby food bottles, spoons, bib, burp cloth, extra outfit (just in case), pacifier, pacifier holder...the list goes on. Now add to that our passports, money, documents...

So, because I knew some of you guys would be sending me HATE MAIL due to the fact that there are no new pictures on the blog today, I downloaded a short video clip! I hope it works, it's my first one. You should be able to view it by clicking on the arrow. The first time is plays it pauses a lot, but if you play it again, it runs more smoothly.

Tomorrow is our last day in Almaty. Our flight back to Miami leaves at 4am on Saturday, Almaty time, which is 5pm, Friday, Miami time. I do plan to post one more time before we head back. Hope you like the video of Alex and Madi enjoying some 1-1 sister time.

Rainy Day in Almaty

It just so happened that our friend Marina, from Astana, is in Almaty this week for an exam. It was great to get to "hang" with Marina again. We all went to dinner together. Here we are in our hotel lobby before dinner.

Alex and Madi play in front of the mirror. When we were in Kaz with Madi before, she really had very little interest in her reflection. That has definitely changed and now can't seem to get enough of herself. She finds herself quite amusing!

She has a way of getting what she wants...

Today we went to the "Mega Mall". It was raining outside and there was not much else we could do on a cold rainy day. We ate at an Italian restaurant...yes, very different from what we otherwise have been eating in Kaz!

These pictures show how our little Madi knows how to get what she wants. Oh, boy, are we in trouble or what?
She likes carrots, but we knew that already from her days at the babyhouse (which are forever gone, yaahhhhh!)




AND she really LOVES cauliflower! NOT!!!!!



And this is what happens when she doesn't like something.
Like I said, she has a way of getting what she wants. Remember that song?