Robin here. Today’s visit with Kristina went very well. She was in an especially playful and affectionate mood, allowing us to kiss and hug her without resistance. Our day started with Kristina pulling out several small flags from a bucket on a shelf and handing one to each of us. We then began a 15 minute parade of marching, climbing, tapping and waving of flags throughout the playroom. I hummed the March of John Phillip Sousa as we wove our way in and around every corner of the playroom until we (well, at least Greg and I) were ready to drop.

Once our parade was finished, Kristina went to my purse and pulled out her cookie and 7-UP and we all sat and had our snack. We played with steel hula hoops - not the safest thing (as Greg can attest to, having whacked himself in the back of the head with one) but nonetheless, a fun toy. I am happy to report that the Pixter was not brought out today and this made reassured us, as we are intent on Kristina NOT becoming an electronics junkie at the expense of other, more imaginative forms of play.

We spent some time in the Jungle Gym today where Kristina pretended to be our dog, Nugget. We would throw one of the rubber balls and she would run to it on all fours, pick it up in her teeth and bring it back to us in exchange for a pat on the head, or a scratch behind the ear.

There was one point in the day when Kristina wanted some change that Greg had in his pocket. After Greg told her no for the third time, she mumbled something to herself and sat away from us - pouting. We didn’t play into it in the least, instead tossing the ball to each other and pretending not to notice that she was protesting. It only took a few minutes before she was back in our vicinity -- ready to become a part of the game again. She seems to recover quickly, which is exactly the way we all are in our family. We never stay annoyed with each other. Any disagreements are usually settled and forgotten within minutes - and it seems that Kristina is much the same.

Our day ended with us telling Kristina that we would see her on Monday. However, we just got word this evening that our court hearing will be on Monday at 3pm, so we will probably not be able to spend time playing with her, although I’m sure we’ll be able to see her and have our picture taken together to mark the occasion. I believe we will be returning to the orphanage after court for vodka toasts and possibly lunch. Igor has hired his friend, Dennis to be our driver on Monday so that Igor can also partake of the vodka and whatever else the evening may hold.

Our fifteen day waiting period will complete on October 10th and we will get custody of Kristina on October 11th. Her 6th birthday is on October 13th, so we will have a party for her with cake and presents. Maybe they will allow us to do this at the orphanage with her group mates. We’ll bring presents for each of them as well and it will most likely be the last time Kristina will be at the orphanage prior to our leaving for Almaty, which shouldn’t be later than October 24th. Two or three nights in Almaty and if all goes well, we should be headed for home by Friday, October 27th.

In the midst of the excitement of waiting for Igor and Sholpan (our attorney) to arrive this evening with the details of our court date, we found ourselves looking through our apartment door peephole at two uniformed officers who had rung the doorbell repeatedly over a five minute period. Greg and I scurried to the bedroom and called Igor to ask him if we should answer the door -- since they weren’t leaving. While we were on the phone with Igor, the officers rang one more time and then knocked on the door once or twice before finally giving up. We haven’t a clue as to what the visit was about, but we had been instructed when we arrived here to ignore the rings and knocks of strangers at our door. We have been dutifully ignoring the once or twice weekly visits we get from strangers, but when we saw that they were in uniform, we didn’t want to arbitrarily dismiss them. Still, both Igor and Sholpan said to ignore them if it happens again -- so, this is what we’ll do. I have to admit that it was a bit unnerving to see foreign police standing at our door, but they did go away and hopefully had the wrong apartment in the first place.

So, this was our day of fun at the orphanage, anticipation about our court date and shock at the sight of the police at our door. And, as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz once said, “I love it here and I will miss you all -- but, there’s no place like home.” We love Kazakhstan, the orphanage, the children and our new friend, Igor. Still, there is no place like home. And, by the grace of God we will soon be home, tucking Kristina into the lower bunk of the bed she will share in her new room with her new sister, Julia. It’s gonna be great!