I kinda realized I didn't mention why we chose Kazakhstan. First, note the cute pictures included in this post. They're both of Bruno.
So why Kaz? Well at first when we were looking at all the different countries, we bypassed Kaz for the simple reason that the in-country stay is 1 trip of 5-7 weeks or 2 trips the first of which is 3 weeks and the second it 2 weeks. Seemed like way too much time to be away from the house, the dogs, work, a paycheck... so we didn't even give it a second thought. Not to mention, the agency we were initially thinking of working with had only used Kaz a couple of times. Kazakhstan was a pilot program so they didn't have a lot of information to provide us.
Just to be thorough in our agency search, I used RainbowKids agency search wizard to request information packets from agencies who worked in the countries we thought we were interested. I must have received 50 packets in the mail over the span of 3 weeks. (I'm guessing our mail person knows what we're up to!) Every night it was my job to sort through all the packets and highlight the good things and the bad, categorize them, and file the packets and comments away. Well I came across this one packet that had a ton of info on Kaz. It totally intrigued me! I read it a couple of times and as soon as Jim came home from the bookstore, I showed it to him, and he too was very interested.
That's when the search for information started. I have no idea how people survive currently without the internet, and I have no idea how people used to survive without it. I was able to find about 100 websites of people who have gone to Kaz and I read all their stories, saw their babies, looked at their pictures of the country, etc. Then I found the forums or discussion boards. I read all of the threads which were very informative and even posted a couple of questions myself to which people responded helpfully. This is actually how I researched who the best agencies were for Kaz. It became very apparent quite quickly.
So that's the point Jim and I decided to choose the country. I admit, part of the decision was logical, part of it was emotional. The emotional side was that we were both drawn to Kazakhstan. After all the reading we had both done, we really liked the country. I felt like I had almost been there. I had read about the Tsum and seen pictures, and been the Rainbow cafe, and I saw the statues of Lenin. I even feel like I know what the climate and the flora and fauna are like. It feels like this is a country to be explored- not to just zip in, pick up a kid, and then zip back out again. Not that there is anything wrong with that by any means, but Jim and I decided we wanted to experience the country and the people too. We want to know about our daughter's history and background and have something to show her and tell her until she's old enough to decide if she wants to go and visit it too. I have every intention of making a scrap book (ok, so I'm not really that creative- let's just call it a photo album with comments) on her birth country to give to her; or to keep for us if she decides she wants to make one of her own some day.
So that's the emotional side. It's foreign country, but it doesn't really seem all that foreign after all that I have read and seen. And we just feel a pull towards it.
The other aspect is the logical side. In other words, the care the babies get. Now anyone who has looked into adoption knows that foster care is better than an institution, but a lot of countries aren't set up for foster care. From there, institutions range widely. A nicer name for an institution is an orphanage, and an even nicer name is a baby house (or children's house depending on the age of the kids). This is what they call them in Kaz, so hence forth, I will refer to them as baby houses. From what I've read, the baby houses in Kaz are some of the best in the world- in some cases, even better than what we have here in the states. I've looked at some pictures for orphanages in other countries and it's truly heartbreaking. There are no decorations. The floors that the babies play on are hard vinyl- similar to an old school building. The cribs are cold metal- they look more like cages than cribs, and I've even seen one picture of a country where there is a room full of cribs (maybe 15) and each crib holds 2 to 4 babies and in this room there are only two caregivers. On one hand, it makes me want to rescue all those babies!, but on the other hand, that is their "rescue." The fact that they are even there is an indication that someone cares enough to bring them out of the cold and feed them and bathe them- even if they don't get the attention babies require.
Anyway, when I saw pictures of the baby houses in Kaz, I was floored!
In a good way! Silly as it sounds, they had rugs, and toys, and wooden cribs, and walkers, and murals on the walls in color! 
The toddlers take music lessons and put on little shows for all the parents coming to pick up children. There are playgrounds in the back and the toddlers get to play on them. Many of the items are donated by the agencies and by the parents coming to get children. i.e. when we travel, we'll bring a whole suitcase or two of gifts to give to the caretakers and the baby house. 
I attached some photos of one of the baby houses so you can see what I mean.
Even though the surroundings are nice, the important thing is the care. I'm going to copy an excerpt from WPA, but it summarizes everything I've heard from the people who have gone over there to adopt.
Kazakhstan has an excellent reputation of caring for their children who live in their orphanage system. Often when the children leave the orphanage or baby house through adoption, there are many bittersweet tears from the staff and caregivers, since they love these children so dearly and will miss them- yet they only want them to have a happy life. When post placement reports are sent back and pictures of the children are given to the baby house, the caregivers remember each of the children by name and are delighted to see them thriving in their new homes. [Jen's comment: This is true! I read stories where parents went back to adopt a second child and they brought their first with them and the say it was much like a homecoming celebration- all the caregivers were so excited to see the first child and how well he/she was doing!] Many US doctors have commented on the good care of the children upon their arrival home, and one is even quoted as saying, "We aren't sure what Kazakhstan does right, or what other countries do wrong." They are amazed at how well the children look upon arrival home after being adopted, saying these children do not look like typical children who have lived in an orphanage setting.There are multiple reasons that children are living in these institutionalized settings, called Baby houses in Kazakhstan, such as relinquishment or termination of parental rights, abandonment, death of birth parents, economic strife, unwed birth mothers, as well as a number of other reasons. When children are abandoned, either at birth or later, the custodianship and guardianship bodies of the local Departments of Education try to locate the child's birth parents, but often time the birth mother has left false information, making it impossible to locate her. In some regions, Hospital officials will go to the address that the birth mother gave at the time of admission, but often they are unsuccessful in finding the birth mother or any other family members. In the case of abandonment, the Akim, Hospital or Department of Health (Depending on the region) will write up an abandonment act which will allows the child to be placed into the Baby House. If a child is considered to be a "foundling" meaning literally "found" outside of the police station, hospital, park, etc. with no identifying information, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (the Militia) will try to find the birth parents or some family member who can be responsible for the child. If they are unsuccessful in their attempts to find a family member, the child is placed for adoption. The children must be on the local registry for 3 months and then on the national registry for 3 more months before they can be adopted internationally. The youngest child to be adopted from Kazakhstan will be at least 6 months old. Not all of the children living in the orphanages are cleared for adoption because parents have written a letter or family comes to visit them from time to time.
The Baby Houses are unique due to their staff and daily routines with the children. The baby houses are staffed with doctors and nurses and specialists such as speech therapists, physical therapists, neurologists, massage therapists, music teachers, and nannies. It is similar to a residential medical facility. The children have three full meals per day along with 3 snacks per day. Infants, of course, are on their own feeding schedule. The children are divided into groups according to their ages. There are typically 8-12 children per group depending on their age and there is one primary caregiver per group and 2 nannies to care for them at all time. Each child is assigned a primary caregiver so the child is able to establish a bond with someone in the important early stages of brain development and attachment. The daily routine of the children, while a very strict schedule, allows them to engage in playtime with their friends, attend music lessons twice per week, learn dances and poems, and work with a speech therapist every day for up to 30 minutes! Children under one year of age work with a massage therapist and physical therapist routinely to aid them in developing gross motor skills and muscle development. This interaction with these specialists provides stimulation, which allows them to learn musical patterns, sing memorized songs, enhance gross and fine motor skills, improve receptive and expressive language, and have interaction that will help them with their cognitive and emotional development. Around the holidays or special occasions the children wear costumes and will put on performances to a variety of audiences!
The Baby Houses and Orphanages are often very stark in the outside appearance, however the inside walls are typically covered with colorful murals of animals and characters which creates a child friendly environment. The baby houses and orphanages are very clean and free of debris, and toys are neatly stored on shelves. The building is usually a two-story facility that has a full kitchen, laundry room, play rooms, therapy rooms, and bedrooms where the children are grouped by age. Several children sleep in the same room in separate beds, which are lined up in rows. The outside often has a playground and a covered area that seats many children for outside play. Often times the playground and outside equipment is in need of updating and repair, however, the orphanage budget does not have the money to replace or repair the equipment, so they do the best with what they have.
The workers are very protective of the children's health, as an illness can quickly spread creating an epidemic throughout the entire house. The children are sent to the hospital for fevers and other illness we might consider to be minor because the caregivers are trying to keep all of the children free from getting sick. The workers are also very careful with the people that come into contact with the children and enter the baby house so they can limit the exposure to germs to the children.
Kazakhstan's first lady Sara Alpysovna Nazarbaeva is the President of "Bobek" Children's Foundation, established in 1992, and is the winner of The International I. Dogramachi World Health Organization Prize and The International Unity Prize. She has dedicated her life to underprivileged children, and has taken upon herself the responsibility for thousands of orphaned and handicapped children. She has created this foundation to help mother and child care, provide supervision of foundling homes and orphanages, provide equipment and supplies to schools, aid gifted children from low-income families, and assist to the child health care system. In 1997 she launched the first National Children's Rehabilitation Center and the "SOS Children's Villages of Kazakhstan" which are the family villages for orphans. Mrs. Nazarbaeva plans on building these children's villages so the orphaned children can live in a family setting. These children's villages consist of several houses build together in a group where many children live in one house with several caretakers. Mrs. Nazarbaeva understands the need for the family, and her plans for the children's villages will enable the orphaned children to grow up in a family atmosphere.
With this type of dedication to the children, stemming all the way from the top of the political structure, it is no doubt the children are so well cared for in Kazakhstan. This is a country that deeply loves it's children and wants what is best for them. It is with great honor that adoption agencies are able to work in this beautiful, kind, and compassionate country. We support them by assisting in providing loving homes and care for these precious orphaned children of Kazakhstan who are so loved by their country.
When I first read this, I admit, the cynical side of me said, "Is this true, or is this just sugar coating the reality in order to do a sell job?" Again, from all the family websites I've read, this is very much the truth. Not all the baby houses are the same, but there are standards for each one. Back to the 5-7 weeks though. Why that long? Well in the spirit of caring for the children, the country wants to ensure that the best match possible is made between the parents and the child. They way they do this is by mandating a 15 day visitation period during which the parents and the baby have a chance to bond. It is also during this time that the parents can refuse a baby. So basically in our case, we would show up at the baby house with our translator and we would talk to the director of the baby house. She would ask more questions to determine if we were fit to parent one of the babies. After that appointment, we would get to meet our daughter. From that point, we would visit the baby house every day (except possibly Sundays depending on the region) twice a day for 1-2 hours each time. Typical visits are from 10-12 and then 4-6. We would just get to take her into the play room and play with her and maybe even feed her. That's basically it for 15 days. On our off time, we'll have a translator and a driver and that's where we get to do the tourist thing- go see the sites, go shopping, eat out, etc. We will also have an apartment while over there. Usually a simple one bedroom. The driver will pick us up each day and take us wherever we want to go and drop us off again when we're done at the end of the day. Our job is simply to bond with our baby, not worry about how to survive in a different country. At the end of 15 days, we will go to court before a judge and ask him to allow our baby girl to actually become "ours." Again, he will ask many questions and we will have to prove that we are a good match and we bonded to the baby, and she to us. We'll have pictures to show and typically a caregiver will come and offer supporting evidence. Once the judge gives us his approval, the baby will officially be our daughter by Kaz law!! Up until this point, she will not be ours, but on this day, if the judge gives his approval, we'll be a family! After that, it will take awhile for the paperwork to get in order. We will still maintain visits at the baby house. Some regions allow the parents to take the child back to their apartment to live. There are obvious pros and cons to both continuing regular visitations and bringing the baby to live with us in the apartment. We'll make that decision (if given to us) when the time comes. Once we have the paperwork ready, we and our daughter will travel to Almaty which is where the US embassy is. The time in Almaty averages a week. This is where she'll have her final medical examination and we'll apply for her visa to get into the states. Once we have her US paperwork ready, it's homeward bound! Which, (grumble) depending on the length of layovers is anywhere from 22 to 36 hours of traveling. Ugh!! I'm sure we'll be excited to be home though. I think that effectively describes both why we chose Kazakhstan as well as the need for the long stay.
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