Jaipur April 29, 2011

     Today we received word that the orphanage received Sajel's passport! Marcus has been calling and e-mailing some "bigger fish" to try to make it happen and I think it really paid off. An e-mail was sent to the passport office on Monday telling them to promptly dispatch if all paperwork was in order and....they did! Yea!!! We already scheduled appointments with Embassy Doctor and Embassy interview for Tuesday and Wednesday in hopes this actually happened. Flights home were another story- we will be leaving on Friday the 6th (earliest we could get a flight). The 'not so good' news- SOMEBODY booked a flight that leaves at 0400! WHAT! That means we have to be at the airport at 0100. Not nice Brown Bear, not nice.
     We decided to come to Rajastan while we waited. The plan was to leave on Tuesday, but I was not up for 5 hours in the car. I woke up very nauseated- Marcus blames the snap peas I was eating the day before, but I think it was the coke on ice he gave me. I was good as new the next day and off we went.
     Wednesday we drove to Jaipur. We had  one minor delay about an hour and a half in....the car stalled. Ummm.....it was hot. Our driver got out (looking like he knew what he was doing) and popped the hood. He made several phone calls and went back and forth starting the car, stoppig the car, turning the air on, turning the air off...Is anyone else worried? Never fear, we made it (without air) to a garage down the road. About 30 minutes and 3 Indians later, we were back in business! How come we can't get our cars fixed that fast at home? I was impressed, I thought there was no way we were going to have a happy ending after that first stall. :) Meanwhile; Sajel was an awesome traveler as usual! We arrive in Jaipur and stopped for lunch. Sajel was really enjoying the live music. Our guide met up with us after lunch and we took a tour of Jantar mantar (a solar observatory) and Palace of the Winds. Both are in old Jaipur which is known as The Pink City. It was really beautiful. We also saw the cannons being fired at City Palace during a coranation of a new king. We couldn't go into City Palace due to the celebration, but we will visit there tomorrow. That evening we checked into our hotel and I had an amazing bubble bath. I so miss bath tubs. I thought Sajel might enjoy bubble bath also, but I was wrong. :(
     Thursday, we left at 0800 and were off to Rathambore (another 5 hours). Our driver warned us that we had about 1.5 hours of bad road we would travel on and he was not kidding. Ouch. We arrived at Tiger Moon Resort (not so much a resort) and had about 2 hours to rest before our 1st safari. Sajel was ready to play because she slept through the worst of the drive while Marcus and I were jostling all over the place. Noise and movement put her straight to sleep. Marcus played with her while I took a little nap. At 3:30 we left in our open-air jeep, 8 adults and 1 toddler. I know the other passengers must have been inwardly groaning when they saw us. Sajel showed them- she was an angel. She loves animals and was very excited to see the deer and monkeys. We were very lucky and spotted a tiger about 30 minutes out! Marcus managed to get a picture as well. Then, he got up and was growling very loudly. We were very far away and uphill, but it was amazing how loud and effective a growl can be. We also saw lots of birds, a snake and some crocs! The last hour was very bumpy (ouch) and Sajel slept. :) When we returned to our cabin/ concrete tent, we battled the crickets for bed and bathroom space and went too bed early.
     Today we woke up at 0600 to go on our 2nd safari. Everyone told us how lucky we were to have spotted a tiger on our 1st trip. The people with us had been out twice with no luck. Luck was on our side again...we saw tiger and bear tracks and followed them. Seriously people, I think I can work for Nat Geo now. We came to a spot where other jeeps were and the tiger was very far in the distance. We could barely make him out. After sitting and sitting and sitting (ok, maybe I can't work for Nat Geo), another tiger was spotted and we quickly took off! Sajel was very excited and was tolerating the sitting around better than I was. The 2nd tiger was much closer and easier to see. She was sitting in the water. We watched for awhile and then she went into her den. Success! Marcus was able to snap another tiger shot and we were very happy. Guess who passed out when we hit the bumpy road? We had brunch and headed back to Jaipur...another 4.5 hours. When we reached the hotel, Sajel ran around like a maniac! She had a lot of energy and we had a nice afternoon in our room. This evening I tried the bubble bath again.....and she played and laughed. It was such a great moment for me. Great ending to a great couple of days. We tour Jaipur some more tomorrow and then head back to Delhi.....Love, Sajel's Mom

Delhi - April 24, 2011

     Happy Easter everyone! We are here in Delhi, relaxing and enjoying the day. Marcus has found a kabob restaurant we may try tonight. I caught him staring at a picture of a steak on the Internet! I laughed so hard, I was crying! Poor guy- he's so over lamb and keeps asking "where's the beef?". He said he misses his dogs and can't wait to get home and cook some meat curry :)
     This week we went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. There really are no words to describe the Taj. I'm so glad we were able to go and experience it. Marcus went when he was 11, but I think he appreciated it much more this time. Don't worry- we have many, many photos! The drive there was about 4 hours- we left at 7am. We did stop halfway and had tea and snacks at a hotel/ shop. Sajel slept most of the drive and was an angel while we walked around in the heat and posed for photo after photo. We also went to a marble shop to see how the detail work is done (it is still done by hand today). Next, we drove by the Agra fort and took a few pictures (we needed to feed Sajel so we didn't walk thru). Lunch was next. Marcus had "the best lamb curry I've ever tasted" and Sajel and I enjoyed naan and bhindi curry. The drive home was also 4 hours (it felt like 8!).I really enjoyed the scenery. I saw camels,an elephant, monkeys, tractors, rickshas and lots of people and traffic! Sajel slept about half the time and seemed to enjoy the car ride the other half. She likes the constant bouncing around and also enjoyed the scenery. She was laughing and having a good time the last hour or so of our drive. We are so lucky; 2 year old + 8 hours in car + heat should = disaster!
     Friday, Marcus called to see if there was any new news on the passport. They still had not received it and Friday and Saturday = NO MAIL! AHHHHH! So now we are still waiting, waiting, waiting. We went to Red Fort in Old Delhi on Friday evening and were attacked by an army of mosquitos- the Fort's defenses were no match! Needless to say....we did not stay long. The highlight, for me, was the bicycle rickshas ride to the Fort. WOW! Sajel also loved it- she was laughing and seemed right at home :). We also went to TGI Fridays on Friday. The music was playing loudly and Sajel was dancing in her seat! She had a great time and so did we :)  Saturday we relaxed- nothing too exciting.
     Our next move will be on Tuesday. We are leaving for Rajastan to see the Pink City on elephants and go to Rathambore Park for a safari! We will return to Delhi on Saturday and hope for some news of a passport. Internet access will be limited for this next trip, but I'll post an update on our return. I love you all....hoping to return home soon......Love, Sajel's Mom

Delhi April 20,2011

     We have officially been in India for 4 weeks today! Our return flight was scheduled for 1 week from today, but we won't be on it. Marcus arrived in Orissa Sunday evening and went to the passport office on Monday. After lots of waiting and jumping around from room to room, he finally got an answer...."The file will not be reviewed until the 30th day" - which is Thursday the 21st. Booooooo! This was NOT the answer or news we were hoping for- not even close! So, Marcus raced to the airport only to have to wait about 5 hours to catch a flight back to Delhi. Poor Brown Bear :(
     Tuesday, we relaxed and walked around the mall. The mall is attached to our hotel and it's nice and cold! We also spent a lot of time trying to figure out our next move. We're still not completely sure what that will be. We did go do some sight-seeing in Delhi today. We went to Qutb Minar, Humayun's Tomb and Lotus Temple.  Everything we saw was amazing! Tomorrow we will go to see the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. I can not even fathom how beautiful it will be. I think we will probably stick around Delhi until Tuesday and hope our passport comes. Past that- we just don't know. After we finally receive the passport, we will have to see the Embassy Doctor and go to the Embassy to get her Visa. This could take, at least, a few days. So-here we are, 4 weeks in and just thankful we are waiting with Sajel.
     Miss Sajel: she is definitely a 2 year old. She runs, laughs, plays and tests me every chance she gets! She always tries screaming as her 1st choice to get what she wants, but that doesn't work with me :) She is starting to understand this and stops crying fairly quickly when I move her to a corner. I believe she was always picked up whenever she cried in the past.The big fight we continue to have is the shower. She would like very much to be the stinky kid! I hope when we get home and I can give her a nice bubble bath this might improve. For the most part, she is very happy. She giggles so much now and it is such a joy to hear! She gives kisses, blows kisses and is saying a few English words (and lots of Oriya words). I am so glad we are here with her and can't wait to bring her home.  Love, Sajel's Mom

Delhi April 17, 2011

     Yes....we are in Delhi! Still no passport; however, when Marcus spoke to the orphanage on Friday, they advised him to go to the passport office himself. So, yesterday we left Bangalore and flew to Delhi. Marcus is en route to the airport now to fly to Orissa and Sajel and I are sitting comfortably in our hotel room in Delhi. We are hoping and praying the passport office will issue the passport tomorrow (but not holding our breath).
    The last few days spent in Bangalore were nice. We just relaxed and spent time with Aunty Rosie, Uncle Raju and Preetham. Uncle insists we bring Sajel back in 2 years so she can run around the house! They were so kind to us and took very good care of the 3 of us during our stay. We will miss them greatly. Sajel was beginning to get very comfortable in Aunty and Uncle's house. She still isn't going to anyone else, but she was running around laughing and giggling a lot. She also keeps singing a song (some of you may have seen it on FB). I was (once again) nervous about how she would react to another change. She did very well. She stayed awake the entire flight and was soooo good. She watched out the window as we took off and landed. :)
     Once we arrived at the hotel, Sajel was running around like a crazy person! She was so happy and excited. I was afraid she would revert and stop playing again, but she proved me wrong. She talked to Grandma, Aunty Jodie and Chinnappa (sp?) on Skype and stayed up very late! We all had a nice rest and stayed in bed until almost 10am! We were watching Animal Planet on TV and she kept yelling "coocoo"- I thought she was referring to the birds, but then she kept yelling it at the bears too. I searched the internet for a translator site to see if I coulld figure out what she was saying, but no luck. Marcus stocked us up on supplies and food and then he headed to the airport at 3:30. I am very nervous that the passport won't be issued and we may be stuck waiting. We'll see what tomorrow brings....
    
Love, Sajel's Mom

Bangalore April 13, 2011

     It's Wednesday afternoon here and the orphanage still has not recieved the passport. :( We are hopring it will come today or tommorrow. If it does, we will fly to Dehli on Friday and Marcus will catch an afternoon flight to Orissa to pick it up.
     We took Sajel yesterday to the hospital to get a TB test placed and have a chest x-ray. The TB test is a requirement by the embassy now that she is 2 and we went ahead and did the  x-ray just in case. By the way, the x-ray only cost $6.25. I told Marcus we should all have one! Sajel did not enjoy either, and she vocalized this to everyone in India! After the hospital, we went to Aunty Christina's house and have a nice visit with her, her son Jameth and his wife Margaret. They prepared a feast for us and evrything tasted soo good. We had custard for dessert- oh I loved it (and so did Sajel)!
     Monday and Tuesday we spent around the house. Marcus did have to go print off a "newly required form" for the state of Florida. He got that done and we got ICPC approval later that day! This just  means we are allowed to bring Sajel into Florida! Woohoo!
     Hoping thios finds you all well and missing everyone.....Love, Sajel's Mom

Bangalore April 9,2011

    We have internet (for now)! I didn't realize how frustrating it would be to be "out of touch". I just paged through Facebook like a kid in a candy store! I feel closer to home reading what everyone is up to :)
Today was a great day. Sajel reached up to Marcus to be picked up and she let him hold her for awhile! They walked around the back yard and Thata (Marcus' dad) even got a few pictures. This evening we were  treated to a fabulous dinner by Preethan (family friend) in downtown bangalore. The food was amazing- Sajel sat very nicely and ate a LOT of food. She also enjoyed ras malai ( my fav!) for dessert. Sajel has been kind enough to give out smiles galore! She is even posing for the camera now (she likes to see the pic after). We are currently waiting for Sajel's passport to be issued. Please cross your fingers, light a candle and pray it is delivered on Monday! I am looking forward to coming home. My mom arrived in Florida today! So, if anyone is bored today- you can go helo her unload her 26 foot u-haul! Well,Marcus is sitting here wimpering to get his chance on the net......goodbye for now :)

Love, Sajel's Mom

Bangalore April 7,2011

                We made it to Bangalore yesterday afternoon. Sajel did fine on the airplane- she slept the entire timeJ. The change has definitely affected her. She has been kind of cranky and does not enjoy spending time with other people. We hope once we get home and get her settled this will change. This is the 3^rd place we’ve stayed since picking her up and I think she’s still unsure of who to trust. She continues to cling to me and insist on following me around when I’m not holding her. Marcus is still eagerly awaiting his chance to finally pick her up (surely it will come any day now!). We are staying with Aunty Rosie (Marcus’ dad’s sister) and Uncle Raju (who recently celebrated his 90^th birthday!); they live in a very modern house in a gated community. It is very nice here and we have just spent the last day visiting, relaxing, and eating. Sajel is eating VERY well (except still no milk). She loves chapati, ukma, curd, and (of course) bread. Tomorrow we will go shopping for a few things and then Marcus’ dad arrives. He is teaching at a medical school in Malaysia and will come spend the weekend with us.

Our last few days in Goa were so nice. We had a cake for Sajel’s 2^nd birthday (on the 4^th). She really loved the icing and even shared with Marcus and I. Tuesday; we went to the beach and took some pictures. That evening we sat by the pool after a quick dip. We met a very nice man who lives in Pune and works at Spicer College. This is the school that many of Marcus’ family have attended and are affiliated with. More conversation led to finding out he taught at the Air Force Academy (Layne’s school) and also attended Andrew’s University (Marcus also attended)! What a small, small world! He was so nice and we enjoyed spending the evening talking with him. Wednesday I woke up feeling so sad. I really enjoyed our time in Goa and we were making such progress with Sajel. I hated to leave and was very worried about how Sajel would handle the change. She is doing better than I expected, but it must be scary for her.

We are having difficulty with the internet and phone here. I am actually writing my blog on WORD and will upload it when I can.  I am having withdrawal’s from Skype and Facebook!

Love,  Sajel’s Mom…..

Goa- Sunday, 4/03/11

         Yes, you read right... we are stillin Goa. Marcus went to a "presentation" and came away with a few extra days here. It is really comfortable and nice and Sajel improves every day. She is sitting next to me playing on her computer. It is soo nice to see her play- now, if only we could get a few giggles....She has given a few smiles, but they are rare and one must work hard to earn them. She is eating better now- she loves bananas, watermelon, chicken, french fries, sweet rice, and (of course) bread. I swear she would happily live off of bread and water! She still isn't taking milk, but we manage to get in some mango lasi and curd.
     On Friday, we went on a tour. We walked through a spice plantation and learned all about Indian spices and how they are grown and harvested. They served us lunch after- it was very good. Sajel was eating all her sweet rice and helping herself to mine as well :)! We met two elephant there- the baby's name was Sajel :)! After lunch, we saw some old Hindu temples and a beautiful (and huge) Catholic Church. The tour lasted about 5 hours and Miss Sajel held up pretty well. Just driving around in the cab was a treat. The rice fields and palm trees are beautiful!
    Marcus and I are treating ourselves well while we're here. He enjoyed a massage and I have had a pedicure, facial, eyebrow threading, and a foot reflexology massage (which was amazimg!).  I know this sounds a little one sided- but Marcus was spending quality daddy time with Sajel! She now expects a kiss from him everytime he leaves or comes in, and she let him move her on the couch today (no tears)! These are huge steps for her!
     Goodbye for now......Sajel's Mom