I Am A Terrible Blogger

I would assume that the first rule of being a good blogger is to remember that one actually has a blog.  Having failed this first test, I can safely assume that I suck at blogging.  It has now been over a year and a half since my last post, which I can perhaps attribute to the following factors:

1. I forgot about the blog
2. I do a fair job of putting pictures and photos up on Facebook (which contributes to #1)
3. I have a job that keeps me traveling between five Central Asian countries, and thus doesn't leave too much time for things like blogging.

These are all explanations -- hard to read ones, at that -- not excuses, and so, in the spirit of "not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good enough," I will write a brief update here.

Previously, my life in Almaty might have best been characterized as follows:

Almaty's great for outdoor activities -- the mountains are right next door, there's skiing and hiking galore.

This past Fall, though, we had some big news, which has changed everything.  Again, a picture is probably worth a thousand words:

Whoa!  What happened to Amita's belly?!?

 As you probably know by now, Amita and I are expecting a baby sometime around May 20, 2013.  A little girl, to be specific (assuming the ultrasounds are correct).  This is a very exciting time for us, but also incredibly intimidating not only because we've never had a kid before, but because of all of the administrative and logistical tasks that have to be taken care of in order to then successfully relocate back to Kazakhstan, when the Deed is Done.  There is about a 20 page State Department cable outlining all of the tasks we have to take care of, from getting Medical Clearance to a diplomatic passport for the little one, to getting the Kazakh government to give her a visa, etc..  And on the "what to buy?" side, I'm absolutely astounded by the array of "must-have" items that a newborn requires.  It's hard to tell what's really required, and what is simply the product of very (VERY) clever marketing campaigns. 

In any event, Amita will fly from Almaty to NYC on April 6, and I will join her around May 10.  Then we're supposed to fly back to Kazakhstan on July 3rd, to introduce what we hope will be our healthy, happy (or, more likely: confused) little girl to her new home.

love,
D  & A

PS - we're still open to name suggestions!  :-)