Finally, an update!

I know, I know, I haven't been updating! So here's a quick summary of what's being going on and what is to come.

Things at Home

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks and none of it has gone quite as expected. My plan was to get Kairat's room finished and work on some other house projects, but instead I had to take a quick business trip, have been dealing (and stressing) about a very sick cat, had to move my office, and have been sick myself!

I came home with a slight cold, but got rid of it fairly quickly, only to come down with a nasty bug after an overnight business trip late last week. I was running a 101 fever for about 3 days, but am finally on the mend, although it isn't quite gone yet. I suspect all the stress and travel has really taken its toll on me, but I need to build up that immunity again very quickly for my next trip to Kaz! Taking lots of vitamins and drinking tons of juice.

And then there is Merlin. It seems his kidney issues are back in full force. He is losing weight and we haven't found the right combination of anti-nausea drugs and appetite stimulants to counteract it yet. Also he has become very anemic, which is not a correctable situation with CRF (chronic renal failure) cats. I'm really struggling with having to leave him for a several weeks now and again in a month or so. He has always been so active and talkative and playful and affectionate. Now, he is just tired. Some days are better than others, but he no longer brings me his toys or follows me all over the house. It's breaking my heart to know I may lose him soon.

While I was in Kaz, I found out that my office would be moving to another building. My company actually does not have a facility in Denver, but several employees live here, so they rent offices for us in an HQ facility. HQ has several buildings in the area and we were moved to one just a block away from the old one. What I didn't know until last week (the day they moved us) was that I could have been moved to a building (for the same price) that would cut my commute by half in miles and by two-thirds in time -- a good 20-30 minutes on an average day. A big deal when there is a baby to pick up at daycare before 6pm! So, I'm trying to sweet talk my company's real estate manager into "fixing" this for me, but not having any luck so far.

Haven't managed to get a thing done at home yet. At least this is a long weekend!

Adoption Update

My court date is scheduled for Monday, September 15th. I have to be in Aqtobe on September 11th, so will be heading back to Kaz on the 8th or 9th. I am not able to stay in Kaz until I can bring Kairat home, so will have to make two trips. At this moment, I'm still undecided as to whether I'm returning home right after court, then going back to Kaz 2 weeks later to sign the birth certificate, at which time I get custody of the little guy, then wait out the paperwork in Kaz for 3-4 weeks, OR I stay after court through the 15-day appeal period to sign the birth certificate (approx 3 week trip), then come home until the paperwork is done, then return for a few days to fetch him home. There are pros and cons to both options. I have to decide soon.