February 10

Last night at 11 p.m. we boarded the train to Almaty. This train is known as the Soviet train because it is from that time period. We had a four person sleeping compartment for the two and a half of us so that was nice that we had the cabin to ourselves. The toilet was down the hall. Mom and I slept off and on, but Olesya fell asleep as the train was leaving the station, and woke up about thirty minutes before we arrived in Almaty. It is such a relief to see that she can fall asleep anywhere and stay asleep very easily.
Upon our arrival in Almaty we were driven to the Hotel Kazzhol which is where Joe and I spent one night on our very first night in Almaty, three months ago. Our friend Sheri will be arriving on Sunday to pick up her daughter Helena, and she will be staying at this hotel also. We are looking forward to introducing our daughters to each other.
This afternoon we went to the SOS Clinic for the check-up that Olesya needs in order to be cleared by the embassy. It was helpful that the staff also spoke English, so that I could ask questions and understand the answers easily. Olesya weighs almost 19 lbs. and is 69 cm. long.
After that, Bulat delivered our papers to the embassy and they were all approved. On Tuesday afternoon, Olesya and I have our interview at the Embassy. Things seem to be getting done quickly and we are excited to finish this journey.