Appeal - 5 days to go

Leah is pretty much back to her normal self now, only 5 days until we can bring her back to the Shiny River and we can’t wait!

Today we went out to the ‘Daniel’ supermarket to stock up on supplies before she comes back, its kinda weird after all these years to be actually buying nappies and baby food.

But hey, I know all you want are more photos so here ya go!!

Philip, Amanda & Leah



Leah and Mummy



Leahs buddy Luke



Kiss from Daddy



Big boots



Leah and Leo

Ski Trip!!

We visited Leah yesterday morning and thankfully she’s feeling a lot better. She is still being treated for an ear infection and the doctor would prefer us not to see her again until Thursday. The doctor also said she was sure Leah would be well enough to come back to the hotel with us in 7 days time!! We can’t wait.

With no visit today Ragul and Victor took us to a beautiful ski resort in the mountains for a spot of skiing. It was fantastic!! In any other part of the world we would have had to complete long and boring training sessions before we would be allowed anywhere near any slopes. Thankfully this is Kazakhstan after we hired our skis we basically did whatever we liked. Amanda had the good sense to stay near the bottom of the mountain on the beginner slopes. I headed straight for the ski lifts, after all, how hard could it really be!?!?

Skiing is the ultimate ‘looks easy when you know what you’re doing’ activity, I discovered at the top of the mountain that’s its not as easy as it looks!! Half-way down though I started to get the hang off it, nothing like seeing a corner coming up at high speed to motivate you to learn how to steer!!!

We all had a really good time and though we would have preferred to see Leah it was great to finally do something different! Check out the pics and vids at the bottom of the post!

Thanks again for all your comments, texts and emails we really love reading them, especially when you tell us how lovely Leah is!!

Philip, Amanda & Leah

Amanda, Ragul & the Nels

Amanda on the slopes

View from the top

The red coats in their natural habitat!

The ski lift of Doom!!

Appeal - 10 days to go

Children in the baby house are a lot quieter than children brought up in normal homes, they learn fairly early on that crying, shouting and making a lot of noise is not going to get them any more attention than usual, also they have no-one talking to them, reading books with them, “look at the doggie, what sound do dogs make?” “Woof woof”. You know what I mean.

Today was the first time that Leah has really made a lot of noise, almost our whole visit she was jabbering and talking away to herself and us. It was lovely to hear. I told her if she managed to say “dada” before “mama” I would buy her a car for her 17th birthday!

We also got some bad news about our visits for the next few days, as I’ve already mentioned there is a virus going round the whole orphanage at the moment. Leah has been on antibiotics for a few days and has almost recovered but a lot of the other babies are just starting to get sick. The high doctor has decided that there will be no visits allowed for the next 3-4 days to give the babies time to recover. It’s a sensible and understandable decision but for the next few days the hotel will be full of people not getting their ‘baby fix’, it could all get a little ‘Lord of the Flies’.!!

Don’t worry about the supply of pictures running out in the mean time, we’ve taken an insane amount of pictures and video clips already, slightly over 6 gigabytes at the last count!!!

Philip, Amanda & Leah

Leah Talking!

Another family pic.

Appeal - 12 days to go

In true ‘Davidson Girl’ fashion Leah celebrated becoming a Davidson on Monday by contracting a virus and ear infection, we have only been able to visit her for a short time, once a day up until today when we have been able to visit twice again. She is a lot better now but still not her normal self. We’re counting down the days till we can take her back to the hotel.

I’m going to try to move rooms before Leah gets back to the Shiny River, we are on the first floor, directly above the restaurant. On the plus side its only a short walk to get our grub, the down side is the fact that every other evening we are ‘treated’ to some of the worst live music/singing I’ve ever heard in my life, they make me sound good!!

By popular demand we’ll leave you with Leah and the ‘caterpillar shuffle’

Philip, Amanda & leah.



The Caterpillar Shuffle



Poor sick Leah

Appeal - 14 days to go

Wow, 800 page views yesterday, that's a little above average!!!!

We have now entered the annoying but necessary stage known as the 'Appeal period'. After the court decision Kaz law states that there must be a period of 14 days when anyone can come forward and appeal the courts decision to grant the adoption. We are not concerned about this and in the past the period was normally waived but for the last year or so they have been stricter in enforcing it. Once the 14 days has elapsed Leah can finally leave the baby house and come back to our hotel for a week or so while all her passport, visa docs, etc are sorted.

The court process itself was very straightforward, we entered the room and sat down till we were called forward by the judge. Once we were called he spoke for a few minutes explaining our rights and why we were all there. We then gave our petition to the court, basically asking permission to adopt Leah and explaining our reasons for coming to Kazakhstan. Then the lady from the MOE and the High Doctor from the baby house spoke about how wonderful we were and how that it would be in the best interests of he child to be adopted by us. After all this the judge asked the court appointed prosecutor (who is there to speak for the child) if she had any protests to make, thankfully she had none. We then all stood up and left the room to allow the judge to reach a decision. 10 years (4mins) later the door opened again and we all filed in for the verdict. The judge, resplendent in his purple robes stood and very formally announced that the court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, sitting in the region of Ust-Kamenogorsk had decided to grant our petition to adopt Leah. All in all it was a quite fantastic experience!!

Jeremy and Elaine from South Africa had court right after us and thankfully it went well for them also. We all went out for a slap-up meal in a fancy Ust restaurant afterwards with our wonderful translator Ragul and the one and only Victor. They both made very touching toasts at dinner wishing us good lives, health and happiness with our new children. We were slightly concerned that while the rest of us were drinking fruit juice Victor was toasting us with Vodka however we think it actually helped his driving as its difficult to imagine anything that would make our bus rides with victor more terrifying!!!

Phew, that was long winded, well done if you made it this far. If you just skipped straight down to look at the photos, shame on you!! I'm looking at you john!

Philip, Amanda & Leah



After court.



Happiest child in Kazakhstan.



"I love the dolly!"



Kiss from mummy.

Court!!

21st April 2007 Irina was born, 2 months premature. 18th February 2008 she became a Davidson!!

Waiting outside the court room was terrifing but once inside everything went so well, but lets talk about that another day, lets get to the pics!!

Also if you want to see anymore you better leave lots of comments!

Philip, Amanda & Leah Davidson.




Mummy, Daddy & Leah




Blue eyed girls!




Daddys girl!




Leah's Caterpillar book.




Leah's fav chew!

Pre-Court Post

Just back from our morning visit to the orphanage, we've now got 3 hours to kill before Victor picks us up to take us along to court. We are anxious understandably but are sure that it will all go well, thanks to all who are continuing to pray for us.

The orphanage is getting a little more crowded now, 7 families from the USA all arrived last night to adopt from the baby house, some of them we have 'met' already from yahoo groups and blogs, its nice to finally meet them in person!

T-minus 5 hours till Leah pics hit the blog!!!!

Philip, Amanda & Leah

Bonding - Day 20

Phew, tomorrow is the big day!! We were practising the court speech last night in the hotel room unfortunately my master plan of giving the speech in exchange for Amanda changing one years worth of dirty nappies isn't going to work, both parents have to speak in court. Amanda can't wait! Leah was in fantastic form today, she must be on her best behaviour in case we change our minds tomorrow!

Appreciate your prayers.

Philip, Amanda & Leah

By popular request!

These little guys meet us every morning outside the orphanage.

Mural from the baby house.

Bonding - Day 18

18?!? Did I really just type Day 18??!?

Ah well only 3 days now to court! Leah was really good again today, can't wait to be able to show you all some pictures of her! She is starting to move around now, when we first met her she was quite weak but the difference in her strength in a couple of weeks is amazing! She hasn't quite got the hang of this crawling lark yet but she gets around by getting up unto her hands and knees, then flops forward on her belly, up unto her hands and knees again then another belly flop until she gets her hands on what she wants, we call it the caterpillar shuffle, very cute!

It also snowed today for the first time since we've been here, the place is looking very festive!

Keep praying that all will go well in court on Monday. We will see the judge 3.30pm here which is 9.30am GMT.

Hope you're all looking forward to the photos!! ;)

Philip, Amanda & Leah




Leah's Favorite book, just like her Uncle John!!!



Workmen brushing up snow, poor guys!

Bonding - Day 16

“God has a plan for our lives”. Its an easy thing to say but a lot harder to trust and accept when we’re living through the disappointments and setbacks that life throws at us. We have been on this journey for over three years now and on many occasions have tried to understand why God has allowed us to experience so many delays and trials during this whole process.

Even recently when things seemed to be going well we experienced more delays, we were committed to travelling out to Ust back in October but for some reason the LOI didn’t arrive, we were sure we were going in November but no news. We thought there would be no way we’d still be in Northern Ireland for Christmas but more disappointments and delays. Surely the first week in January then!?! Still no LOI, why was God letting this happen…

We found out today that Leah was only made available for adoption within 3 days of us arriving in Ust, if we had arrived even one week earlier, if we had come out when we wanted then we would have never met ‘our’ Leah!!! It is very humbling to see God answering our prayers so clearly in guiding us to the child we were meant to have.

Many people go through their entire lives not knowing why God has moved in a particular way, living through disappointments and trials without knowing the reason why! God in His goodness has let us know exactly why we were unable to come to Ust until now!

Does this mean we will never doubt God again and that in the future our faith will be perfect??!? Would be nice to think so!

5 days to court.

Philip, Amanda & Leah

Bonding - Day 14

Short update today, exactly 1 week to go until court. I'm about to write a short speech which we have to address to the judge explaining why we wish to adopt from Kazakhstan and our commitment to look after Leah, etc. I'm going to deliver the speech in exchange for Amanda changing all the smelly nappies for the next 12 months!!!

Leah was great again today though we are all beginning to feel the effects of the relentless routine of the days here, the adults as well as the children!

Thanks for all who are continuing to pray for us, we will need it especially in the coming days as the court date approaches, pray that the whole process will go smoothly and that the passport, visa, entry clearance, etc stage after court will also go well.

Philip, Amanda & Leah

Bonding - Day 12

Another day of bonding over, at this point we are in a bit of a daze, trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of visiting Leah, eating and sleeping, we have pretty much lost all track of time, its still 2008 isn't it?!?

Let me review our day for you,

Woke up at 8.30am, enjoyed a weird breakfast of cereal followed by minced meat wrapped in pancakes along with bread, sausage, cheese, cucumber, fried potatoes with onions and lots of red sauce, all washed down with fizzy water, fruit juice and a couple of cups of coffee. My typical breakfast at home is a slice of toast and peanut butter around 10.30am!

We leave the hotel at 10am and visit Leah from 10.30 till 12.

Back to the hotel, snack for lunch and catch up on the mountain of emails that have arrived the previous evening.

Picked up again at 2pm and visit Leah till around 4pm, hand her back and head home to the hotel.

We usually stop somewhere for dinner on the way back to the hotel then once we arrive back catch up on the rest of the emails, skype some family and friends, update the blog, do a little reading then watch a DVD then go to sleep.

Wake up at 8.30am enjoy a weir........ You get the idea, its all a bit 'Groundhog Day'!!!!!

Back to Leah news, we made her cry today!!! We are pretty excited about it!!

OK, I know that's usually not something to brag about but when we were leaving after our afternoon visit she was handed back to the carer as normal but when we did our usual waves from the door and she realised that we were leaving her she started to cry, woohoo!! That's the first time that has happened, I think she may be starting to realise we are something more than just very nice carers with fun toys!!

Philip, Amanda & Leah




The doll that fascinates Leah




Winter Wonderland.




Manhole cover, 8" under the ice!

Bonding - Day 11

We have a date for court!! Unfortunately the courts in Ust seem quite busy at the moment so the earliest date they could give us is the 18th February. The first date we could have had court would have been the 12th so its a bit later than we had hoped for but as long as it goes well we don't mind.

Leah was a bit grouchy today, her mouth has been giving her a lot of bother recently and she spent most of the time with us today trying to get everything into her mouth for a good old chew! She still managed to smile everytime she saw the doll though.

We have come to the conclusion that Victor is an ex-tank driver who still thinks he is in his tank! The places he takes his little grey mini-bus is quite unbelievable, we thought he had managed to get it completely beached on a snow bank but he still managed to come out the other side with all four wheels more or less on the ground!!

Also in 'red coat news' I'm sorry to report that its still pretty warm out here (by Kazakhstan standards) so don't expect to see a reappearance anytime soon!

Keep praying, especially with court looming, we fully expect to get paranoid and crazy in the run-up to our court appearance!

Philip, Amanda & Leah

Bonding - Day 10

Good news for all you red coat fans out there!! Its been a balmy minus 10 for the last few days here in Ust but the temperature is forecast to plummet over the next few days, possibly as chilly as minus 40!! Not only will I be wearing my awesome red coat again, I will probably have the entire contents of my wardrobe underneath as well!
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We had a bit of a scare with 'missing' documents last night, we suddenly got the news that documents we will need over the next few weeks were somehow gone! We got in touch with home right away and were on the phone up until 1.30am our time trying to arrange for new copies be made, making arrangements for these to be notarised and legalised, and DHL'd over to Ust, etc. We were also praying that God would provide an answer. After a few hours of sleep and picking over breakfast at the hotel we got the wonderful news that just as mysteriously as they had vanished the documents had re-appeared! A great relief and a speedy answer to prayer! It served as a good reminder to us who is really in control of the whole situation!

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Leah was her usual wonderful, happy, nosey, smiley self again today, we can't wait to get her back home to Ballywalter.

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It also appears Leah is going to be a 'girly' girl, there is a big doll in traditional Kazak dress in the bonding room, each time Leah's eye catches it her head snaps round for a closer look and a big smile appears on her face. When we lift her up close to the doll she gently reaches out her hands and strokes the dolls face very carefully with her fingers and then pulls a strand or two of her hair with her finger and thumb, all very slowly with a real look of wonder on her face... its very cute!

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I've also added a few pics from the window of the mini-bus on our way to the orphanage, we are so wrapped up in what we are here to do its easy to forget what a beautiful country this is.

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Philip, Amanda & Leah

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Bonding - Day 8

Can't believe we are into our second week of bonding, we can already see big changes in Leah, whenever we arrive at the door of her room she greets us with a hugh smile which is lovely to see! The carers also told us that she is getting to know the times of our visits, when we are due to arrive she looks out for us and cries if she is put down into her playpen.

I just have to pay tribute again to the staff who look after the children here, they are wonderful with them all, so kind and caring, considering the sheer amount of kids they have there the attention they give each one is amazing!

We will hopefully be given a court date soon, we expect it to be around Wednesday of next week. We can't wait to get it out of the way then we can start thinking about home and also put up a few pics of the cutest girl in all of Kazakhstan. She is actually 23.5% cuter today than she was yesterday!!!!

We are thankful for all your prayers and praise God that he has led us to Leah, keep praying that the rest of the process will continue to go smoothly.

Philip, Amanda & Leah




With Jeremy & Elaine from SA

Bonding - Day 6

Short update today, the visits with Leah went really well again, she is definitely teething now, everything she manages to get her hands on goes straight into her mouth for a good chomp! Items which have been chewed today include, her teddy, her rattle, my thumb, her own fingers, her dummy, the clip which holds her dummy to her bib, her book, packet of hankies from Amanda's bag and finally her teething ring!!

We would like to take her home now thank-you very much!

Also we just started watching 24 for the first time tonight, WHY DID NO-ONE WARN US !!?!?!

Philip, Amanda & Leah



Typical Ust 'road' 10% tarmac and 90% ice!



Lot warmer than when we arrived, only minus 12 now!



Out for a snack, mmmmmmm

Bonding - Day 5

Leah has a new friend! A very nice couple from South Africa arrived yesterday and met a beautiful boy called Luke. They are staying in the same hotel as us and we will travel together each day to meet the babies. For those who were asking we spend 3 hours in total per day at the orphanage, from 10.30am to 12.00pm and from 2.30pm to 4.00pm. This is loads of time for them, they are ready for sleeping after 1 hour with us.

Leah would also like to take this opportunity to extend her greetings and best wishes for her Auntie Mairead and big cousin Caitlin's birthdays today, she regrets she will not be able to be there in person but hopes you will both understand!!

Her cold was a LOT better today and she was much happier, she is also starting to put a lot more weight on her legs. She can't quite get the hang of this crawling business yet, she can get onto her hands and knees but then can't work out where to go from there! She'll get the hang of it before long, she is already doing better than her Uncle Gary who spent his first 2 years shuffling around on his backside!! God has really answered our prayers in a wonderful way with Leah's health and development, we can already see improvements in the 5 short days we've been with her.

Philip, Amanda & Leah