I have the court decree in hand! Or rather, my facilitator has the court decree in hand! Early start tomorrow morning to go get Miss A's birth certificate. In addition to receiving my court decree, my friend who was not supposed to get her court decree until tomorrow got it today as well. And...to top it all off her boy and my girl were both born in the same city so we get to travel together tomorrow. This is great news for the both of us and we couldn't be happier about it.
Had a great visit with Alex and we finally got off the couch and played table tennis. Tonight is her last night to ever sleep in the orphanage. So excited!
It is pretty late here so I'm going to climb into bed, but wanted to let everyone know that today went well and there were no issues getting the decree.
'Night!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Day 30 - Lazy Sunday
I only went to visit with Alex for about an hour or so today, but it was a really good visit. She was in a real funk yesterday and for the almost four hours I was at her school I only saw her about 1/2 that time. I knew something was wrong the first moment I saw her yesterday, but all she would say was that she was having a bad day. I was relieved that she was doing better today. Her room is still an ice box. A teacher came in and was joking around about how we all looked like we were smoking because we could see our breath. Ummm...not funny?
I went to the supermarket this morning to pick up goodies for my girl. She had called me Friday night and asked that I only bring apples for Saturday because she was sick to her stomach from eating all the food I brought on Friday. Friday's food was: a sandwich, bag of chips, cheese, apples, juice and Snickers. Apparently she ate it all after she had eaten dinner! No wonder she was sick to her stomach! So I only brought apples yesterday, as requested, and she looked surprised that I have listened. And a little disappointed. :) So today I brought apples, a bag of snack sized Snickers, a small package of cookies, apple juice and a bag of M&M's for Alex and each of her roommates. Her roommates faces lit up when I handed them the candy. And I got "Thank You's" in english, to boot! Such sweet girls.
After my trip to the supermarket I waited a few minutes until the mall opened so I could run into City Cafe for my Cappuccino and chicken sandwich. I had a new server today and Oh. My. Goodness. Does that girl make a bitter cup of coffee! But, I hadn't had coffee in about four days and I was quite frankly desperate.
Toward the end of my visit with Alex she asked me if she could ask me something. And then she got all giggly and had a hard time looking me in the eyes because she was embarrassed to ask her question. Then she pulled on my arm to get me to bend down to where she was sitting on the bed so she could whisper the question in my ear. I just burst out laughing. Yes, there were four other people in the room, but NONE of them spoke english! Finally she asked me for money. How much and what for, I ask. (Reasonable questions in my opinion) More giggles. Big sigh from me. She told me she owed a girl 15 greeva (about $2) and then she and Violetta wanted to buy something, but wouldn't tell me what. I ask if the "something" is something I would approve of and she assured me it wasn't anything bad. Okay, I asked again how much? More giggles. Another big sigh from me. So then I just start throwing out numbers: 50 greevna? 100 greevna? She said 100 greevna was too much, so I handed her 15 greevna for "the girl" and 80 greevna ($10) for her and Violetta. She seemed happy with that.
And now I sit in my apartment typing my post and trying to decide if reading my book or taking a nap should be the next thing on my agenda. Decisions, decisions. This is most likely my last lazy Sunday for a long, long time, so I'm thinking a few chapters of my book followed by a nice nap. Hey! Look at me being decisive! :)
Have a Happy Sunday, everyone!
I went to the supermarket this morning to pick up goodies for my girl. She had called me Friday night and asked that I only bring apples for Saturday because she was sick to her stomach from eating all the food I brought on Friday. Friday's food was: a sandwich, bag of chips, cheese, apples, juice and Snickers. Apparently she ate it all after she had eaten dinner! No wonder she was sick to her stomach! So I only brought apples yesterday, as requested, and she looked surprised that I have listened. And a little disappointed. :) So today I brought apples, a bag of snack sized Snickers, a small package of cookies, apple juice and a bag of M&M's for Alex and each of her roommates. Her roommates faces lit up when I handed them the candy. And I got "Thank You's" in english, to boot! Such sweet girls.
After my trip to the supermarket I waited a few minutes until the mall opened so I could run into City Cafe for my Cappuccino and chicken sandwich. I had a new server today and Oh. My. Goodness. Does that girl make a bitter cup of coffee! But, I hadn't had coffee in about four days and I was quite frankly desperate.
Toward the end of my visit with Alex she asked me if she could ask me something. And then she got all giggly and had a hard time looking me in the eyes because she was embarrassed to ask her question. Then she pulled on my arm to get me to bend down to where she was sitting on the bed so she could whisper the question in my ear. I just burst out laughing. Yes, there were four other people in the room, but NONE of them spoke english! Finally she asked me for money. How much and what for, I ask. (Reasonable questions in my opinion) More giggles. Big sigh from me. She told me she owed a girl 15 greeva (about $2) and then she and Violetta wanted to buy something, but wouldn't tell me what. I ask if the "something" is something I would approve of and she assured me it wasn't anything bad. Okay, I asked again how much? More giggles. Another big sigh from me. So then I just start throwing out numbers: 50 greevna? 100 greevna? She said 100 greevna was too much, so I handed her 15 greevna for "the girl" and 80 greevna ($10) for her and Violetta. She seemed happy with that.
And now I sit in my apartment typing my post and trying to decide if reading my book or taking a nap should be the next thing on my agenda. Decisions, decisions. This is most likely my last lazy Sunday for a long, long time, so I'm thinking a few chapters of my book followed by a nice nap. Hey! Look at me being decisive! :)
Have a Happy Sunday, everyone!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Day 29 - My List
Things I will miss about Ukraine:
- Seeing the beautiful faces of all the children at Alex' school every day.
- Getting hugs from Alex' BFF, Violetta, every day.
- The relaxed pace of the last few weeks where the only thing on my agenda is going to visit Alex and deciding what to eat for dinner.
- City Cafe. (Hello? Cappuccino & hot chicken sandwich for $5!)
- Dinner out with Jeff & the Merritts...although the Merritts live 30 minutes away from us so dinner can happen again!
- The 999 Cafe. Good coffee, a great place to warm up and a clean bathroom!
- The two Sergei's. Our wonderful translator, and our always reliable driver. Except that one time he drank so much the night before he was still drunk and unable to drive us the next day.
- My daily trek to the supermarket to buy goodies for my girl.
- The insanely cheap food.
- Doing laundry for one person. :)
Things I will not miss about Ukraine:
- The fact that after 3+ weeks, the sidewalks are *still* icy enough to skate on! The sun melts just enough of the ice to smooth it out every day. It's natures Zamboni.
- Sitting on incredibly uncomfortable couches for several hours a day while visiting Alex.
- Turkish Toilets. If you don't know what they are, Google it!
- Taking 20 minutes to get dressed and/or undressed because it takes time to put on/take off so many layers!
- Going to the bathroom. Trying to peel three pants layers down while hold four shirt layers under my chin while simultaneously making sure the clasp on my money belt doesn't come undone sending all of my money along with my passport hurtling into the toilet is getting to me a little bit. And if using an above mentioned Turkish Toilet, add in holding the door handle while chanting "Please don't break, please don't break" to the mix. Have I mentioned in some places you have to pay 2 Greevna (25¢) to use the "facilities"?
- My hair. I'm not saying I have fabulous hair at home, but here in Ukraine my hair looks awful. Every. Day. :(
Things I am looking forward to in America:
- Obviously seeing the rest of my family, most especially my two littlest monsters, tops the list!
- Seeing my friends again.
- Church
- Tempurpedic mattress
- Keurig
- Driving (I hope I remember how)
- Weather that doesn't freeze the inside of my nose when I breath in.
This is by no means a complete list. While I do look forward to being home and squishing my two youngest kids, I will really, truly miss this place that I am in now. Not just being in Ukraine. The whole process. It has been a blessing to see Alex on her home turf. It has been humbling to meet and get to know some of the kids Alex calls her friends. It has been a tiny little adventure to be here sorta on my own. Okay, yes, I could call my translator at any time, but I almost feel like a real grown up here. I have at the least one more week here and at the most 12 days. To say it is bittersweet to be so close to the end of this journey doesn't even begin to cover it.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Day 28
I have been meaning to write about this since Tuesday's competition. There is a teacher at the school (I have *no* idea what he teaches!) who looks as young as some of the kids here. Very tall, very skinny and has a ...unique fashion sense. I should mention to those of you who haven't made this journey that everyone here wears the same clothes every day. And then I guess they wash them over the weekend and start the cycle over. The teacher I am referencing now for four weeks has worn a pair of acid washed jeans, black shirt and a little red bandana tied around his neck similar to what a boy scout might wear. On the day of the competition he was wearing athletic pants and a t-shirt with writing in english. The shirt read: "Remember My Name" And then in small print underneath that: "You'll Be Screaming It Later". I don't know, maybe it's a reference to sports, but it didn't look like Nike licensed apparel to me. :)
The fabulous Miss A is doing well. She is getting very excited for Tuesday to come. She would like a time that I will be coming to get her, but I have absolutely no idea! It all just depends on how long it takes us to get her birth certificate. It was really good to hear the excitement in her voice. She has given me instructions on which outfit to bring to her to wear out of the school. It seems like she is ready to go. We just have Saturday and Sunday to visit, Monday to get the court decree and Tuesday to get the BC. Is this really happening? :)
On Saturdays the kids clean their classrooms after their classes are over. Yes, they attend school six days a week. Alex happily announced that tomorrow would be the last day she would ever have to clean her classroom again. I think she is more excited about that than not having to sleep in a freezing cold room ever again!
My partner is crime, Kelly, returns on Sunday. For some reason she can't pick up her court decree until Tuesday, even though her 10 day wait is over on Sunday. Hopefully she will be able to pick up the court decree, make the one hour drive to her son's birth city to get his BC and then make the hour drive back to the school to get him. If she runs out of time on Tuesday then she will have to wait until Wednesday to pick her son up. I am really hoping that we can do everything from this point forward together so we can travel back to Atlanta at the same time.
I am really looking forward to posting when I have the court decree and BC in my hot little hands. Only a few more days. Until then, you will have to make do with my aimless ramblings!
S~
The fabulous Miss A is doing well. She is getting very excited for Tuesday to come. She would like a time that I will be coming to get her, but I have absolutely no idea! It all just depends on how long it takes us to get her birth certificate. It was really good to hear the excitement in her voice. She has given me instructions on which outfit to bring to her to wear out of the school. It seems like she is ready to go. We just have Saturday and Sunday to visit, Monday to get the court decree and Tuesday to get the BC. Is this really happening? :)
On Saturdays the kids clean their classrooms after their classes are over. Yes, they attend school six days a week. Alex happily announced that tomorrow would be the last day she would ever have to clean her classroom again. I think she is more excited about that than not having to sleep in a freezing cold room ever again!
My partner is crime, Kelly, returns on Sunday. For some reason she can't pick up her court decree until Tuesday, even though her 10 day wait is over on Sunday. Hopefully she will be able to pick up the court decree, make the one hour drive to her son's birth city to get his BC and then make the hour drive back to the school to get him. If she runs out of time on Tuesday then she will have to wait until Wednesday to pick her son up. I am really hoping that we can do everything from this point forward together so we can travel back to Atlanta at the same time.
I am really looking forward to posting when I have the court decree and BC in my hot little hands. Only a few more days. Until then, you will have to make do with my aimless ramblings!
S~
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Day 27
I got a call from Alex this morning informing me that they had special visitors at the school and her dance team would be doing a special performance. Of course, she had no idea what time that would happen. I hadn't showered and my driver wasn't picking me up until 11:30. I missed the performance. They do a lot of flying by the seat of their pants at that school!
At one point today Alex was playing games on my iPhone and before I realized it there were about eight kids crowded around her trying to see. I know families before us must have come in with iPhones, but none of the kids seemed to know exactly what it was. One boy from Alex' class (the one I want to squish into my luggage) didn't believe her when she told him it was a phone. As I looked at the faces of the kids surrounding Alex I didn't recognize any of them as being NHFC host kids, so I guess if they've never been hosted then there would be no reason for most of them to have seen one before. iPhones are not very popular here. I don't know why it struck me as being odd, but it did.
Alex' roommate & BFF, Violetta, finally broke down and told her teacher about her tooth that needed to come out. They took her to the dentist this morning and had it pulled. She spent the rest of the morning in the infirmary, but I saw her later this afternoon. I gave her a big hug and asked how her mouth was. She tried to give a little smile, but I could tell she was in a lot of pain. Did I mention I have a pretend list of kids I want to squish into my luggage? Violetta's at the top of the list.
I got another "Hi, Susan" from the squishable boy in Alex' class. He had been standing *right next to me* when he was watching Alex play an iPhone game and he didn't say a word to me. It wasn't until he was walking up the stairs and away from me that he called out to me. I am going to make it my mission to get that kid to look me in the eyes to say hi over the next few days.
Five more days. Then my nice, calm, peaceful routine will turn into paper chasing. Looking forward to it. :)
At one point today Alex was playing games on my iPhone and before I realized it there were about eight kids crowded around her trying to see. I know families before us must have come in with iPhones, but none of the kids seemed to know exactly what it was. One boy from Alex' class (the one I want to squish into my luggage) didn't believe her when she told him it was a phone. As I looked at the faces of the kids surrounding Alex I didn't recognize any of them as being NHFC host kids, so I guess if they've never been hosted then there would be no reason for most of them to have seen one before. iPhones are not very popular here. I don't know why it struck me as being odd, but it did.
Alex' roommate & BFF, Violetta, finally broke down and told her teacher about her tooth that needed to come out. They took her to the dentist this morning and had it pulled. She spent the rest of the morning in the infirmary, but I saw her later this afternoon. I gave her a big hug and asked how her mouth was. She tried to give a little smile, but I could tell she was in a lot of pain. Did I mention I have a pretend list of kids I want to squish into my luggage? Violetta's at the top of the list.
I got another "Hi, Susan" from the squishable boy in Alex' class. He had been standing *right next to me* when he was watching Alex play an iPhone game and he didn't say a word to me. It wasn't until he was walking up the stairs and away from me that he called out to me. I am going to make it my mission to get that kid to look me in the eyes to say hi over the next few days.
Five more days. Then my nice, calm, peaceful routine will turn into paper chasing. Looking forward to it. :)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Day 26 - Men's Day Celebration
Today was a really fun day for me to be at the school. The much anticipated "Men's Day" arrived and each class celebrated in their classroom. In Alex' class there are six (soon to be five) girls and four boys. While the boys played table tennis the girls put together quite a spread! They made a really good cold soup and several egg/potato/ham salads and a few other items. I got to take Alex and her BFF Violetta to the nearby supermarket for other needed items like salami, cheese, crackers, soda, etc... That store didn't have everything we needed so while the girls went to dance class I walked down to the newer, bigger supermarket to finish shopping. The boys were not allowed into the classroom while preparations were being made. Once they were allowed in they started off the party with a few fun, silly games and a little dancing. My favorite game was when the blindfolded boys tried to spoon feed yogurt to the girls. Very cute. For the dancing all of the boys tried to hide! And the girls were feeling embarrassed as well. The girls presented each boy and their male teacher with gifts and a little speech about why the boy was special. I think. I believe all the kids had a good time and it was a pleasure to be there. It was really nice to be invited into the classroom and see all of the kids in that kind of environment.
There is a boy in Alex' class that she had always said was sooooo funny. The first chance I had to observe him he kinda came off as a bit of a bully to a younger kid and perhaps a little cocky in general. Nothing happened, but the younger boy did look a little scared. Of course, I have no idea what was said, but I just assumed it wasn't good. Over the past few weeks I haven't noticed that side of him. In fact, he has even smiled at me in passing a few times. Today when I was in the hallway he walked by and very loudly said, "Hi, Susan"! It really surprised me. While we were in the classroom this evening I was watching this boy play guitar when it seemed no one else was really paying attention. He looked up and saw me watching and got a little embarrassed and quickly looked away. Hmmm...not such a tough guy after all. He has really grown on me and I have added him to my pretend list of kids I would like to squish up and hide in my luggage on the way back home.
Here are just a few photos from today:
There is a boy in Alex' class that she had always said was sooooo funny. The first chance I had to observe him he kinda came off as a bit of a bully to a younger kid and perhaps a little cocky in general. Nothing happened, but the younger boy did look a little scared. Of course, I have no idea what was said, but I just assumed it wasn't good. Over the past few weeks I haven't noticed that side of him. In fact, he has even smiled at me in passing a few times. Today when I was in the hallway he walked by and very loudly said, "Hi, Susan"! It really surprised me. While we were in the classroom this evening I was watching this boy play guitar when it seemed no one else was really paying attention. He looked up and saw me watching and got a little embarrassed and quickly looked away. Hmmm...not such a tough guy after all. He has really grown on me and I have added him to my pretend list of kids I would like to squish up and hide in my luggage on the way back home.
Here are just a few photos from today:
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| The spread |
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| Blindfolded boys feeding yogurt to the girls :) |
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| Me & my girl! |
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Day 25
Poor Alex. I wasn't much fun today. I had no appetite this morning, therefore I did not eat. By the time I got to her school at noon I was pretty miserable with my breathing situation. Or, rather, lack thereof. She was okay with my zombie-esque demeanor as she had my computer and was happily downloading music from Violetta's Mp3 player. Then around 1:00 I decided to dig deep within my "day" bag to see if by some miracle of miracles there were any drugs in there. Cue the heavenly angels singing: one leftover cold table from when Jeff was here and got sick. (Wait a minute! By golly I think I have figured out what happened to me!) I popped that pill down my throat faster than I could sneeze. Within 30 minutes I could breathe again. And apparently breathing combined with meds on an empty stomach makes for a very queasy afternoon. Thankfully Alex had some work she needed to do for about an hour so she wasn't subjected to my goo-like appearance from 2:00-3:00. By the time she got back at 3:00 I'm pretty sure she started counting down the minutes until I had to peel myself off the sofa and scoot out the door at 4:00. She didn't even walk me to the front door!
Tomorrow is Men's Day so I am supposed to take Alex to the store to buy food for her class. I am happy to do it. Secretly I am hoping that her teachers will stop hating me for taking their star student. Can't wait to see what the celebrations include. I had been hoping that Alex and the rest of the dance team would do a performance, but she broke it to me today that they were told they wouldn't be. Bummer.
I reminded Alex today that I would be able to pick her up a week from today. I asked her if she was excited. I got a very non-enthusiastic "yes". Then I asked her if she was sad. Same non-enthusiastic "yes". Finally I asked if she would like one extra day and I got a "no". It's so hard to be excited when you are so sad, and so hard to be sad when you are so excited. The anticipation of next week must be very difficult for her. Seven more days. What do you think the odds are that the emotional roller coaster will end for her the minute I pick her up?
By the way, I asked about having a space heater in her room. Apparently that just blows the circuit. Nice. I also asked about blankets. She said not to worry about it as they can just take the blankets they use to keep warm in their classroom to their dorms at night. Yes. You read that right.
Seven more nights.
Tomorrow is Men's Day so I am supposed to take Alex to the store to buy food for her class. I am happy to do it. Secretly I am hoping that her teachers will stop hating me for taking their star student. Can't wait to see what the celebrations include. I had been hoping that Alex and the rest of the dance team would do a performance, but she broke it to me today that they were told they wouldn't be. Bummer.
I reminded Alex today that I would be able to pick her up a week from today. I asked her if she was excited. I got a very non-enthusiastic "yes". Then I asked her if she was sad. Same non-enthusiastic "yes". Finally I asked if she would like one extra day and I got a "no". It's so hard to be excited when you are so sad, and so hard to be sad when you are so excited. The anticipation of next week must be very difficult for her. Seven more days. What do you think the odds are that the emotional roller coaster will end for her the minute I pick her up?
By the way, I asked about having a space heater in her room. Apparently that just blows the circuit. Nice. I also asked about blankets. She said not to worry about it as they can just take the blankets they use to keep warm in their classroom to their dorms at night. Yes. You read that right.
Seven more nights.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Day 24
Hope you are ready for a boring post, because there is nothing new to report!
Well, Alex did have her "upper class" (grades 7, 8 & 9) competitions today. They can kind of be compared to the Field Days I had when I was in Elementary school, except completely different :). Everything was very athletic and physical, but it wasn't a track & field event. Some of the events included tumbling, pyramid building, chin-ups, pommel horse, parallel bars, balance beam and the finale was a crazy, awesome obstacle course. These kids worked hard and put on a great show. Of course it was all inside their tiny little gym, but it is amazing what they can do in there. I got to sit in on the entire competition along with Julie & Keith, the other couple that is here adopting. I think the director of the school even commented that there were "Americans" in the audience. Alex was disappointed in the outcome as her class didn't do great, but hopefully she had a good time anyway.
And in other news, I had Laughing Cow cheese and Melba toast-esque crackers for dinner, I sound like I've been smoking for 87 years because of my cold, apparently "Hustler" is one of the channels in my cable TV package (I really wasn't prepared for that realization-I was hoping to find an HGTV-ish show) and oh, yeah...I get my girl in eight itty-bitty days. :) I chose to focus on springing Alex from lockup.
Well, Alex did have her "upper class" (grades 7, 8 & 9) competitions today. They can kind of be compared to the Field Days I had when I was in Elementary school, except completely different :). Everything was very athletic and physical, but it wasn't a track & field event. Some of the events included tumbling, pyramid building, chin-ups, pommel horse, parallel bars, balance beam and the finale was a crazy, awesome obstacle course. These kids worked hard and put on a great show. Of course it was all inside their tiny little gym, but it is amazing what they can do in there. I got to sit in on the entire competition along with Julie & Keith, the other couple that is here adopting. I think the director of the school even commented that there were "Americans" in the audience. Alex was disappointed in the outcome as her class didn't do great, but hopefully she had a good time anyway.
And in other news, I had Laughing Cow cheese and Melba toast-esque crackers for dinner, I sound like I've been smoking for 87 years because of my cold, apparently "Hustler" is one of the channels in my cable TV package (I really wasn't prepared for that realization-I was hoping to find an HGTV-ish show) and oh, yeah...I get my girl in eight itty-bitty days. :) I chose to focus on springing Alex from lockup.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Day 23
Because the school is closed on Sundays I thought Alex and I would have to spend our time together outside, but she took me straight back to her room instead. And honestly, it wasn't much warmer in there. Alex has three roommates and there is a room right next to theirs that either has two or four girls in it. For some reason the radiators in those two rooms aren't working. The rest of the building is fine, but those two rooms are freezing. There is about a 1/4" layer of ice *inside* the bedroom window! And that was with the sun shining in. At night the girls can see their breath. They each only have one very thin blanket to cover up with so they pile coats on top of themselves to keep warm at night. Alex said they have told those in charge that the radiators aren't working, but they haven't gotten fixed yet. And while Alex only has nine more sleeps there the other girls don't have the luxury of leaving. I am going to see if I can find some fleece blankets to take to them. I know it's not the answer, but it can't hurt.
While I was sitting in Alex' room one of her teachers came in to get the girls to go shopping to buy gifts for the boys in their class for Men's Day. She invited me to come along. We walked to a few little "shops" that would be considered flea markets in the United States. The teacher ended up getting each boy a sports themed coffee mug. While I don't know that they will be drinking coffee, I do believe tea drinking is pretty normal here for the teens. Then we went to a tool shop and Alex wanted to get her male teacher some kind of power tool (sander, maybe?). She asked if I could buy it and I wasn't about to turn her down. After we left the store Alex told me that her teacher was hoping Jeff was still here because she was wanting him to make sure the power tool we were getting was a good one! She was disappointed when Alex told her Daddy had gone back to America already.
I have come down with a slight chest cold. It is truly not a big deal, but I sound *terrible*! It is both comical and painful to listen to me talk. (Please, no cracks here about how that's not any different from any other time!) What I wasn't expecting from this was how upset and worried Alex would be about it. We had gotten her some very good throat lozenges for the chest cold she had last week (hmmm...starting to put 2 & 2 together, here!) and she made me take what was left. Then she gave me instructions to drink tea with honey and to put a hot compress on my chest. Then tonight while we were on the phone she told me she was very scared for me staying by myself in the apartment. I tried to reassure her that I felt very safe here. Never mind the fact that in just a little over a year from now all of her friends will be on their own and probably not in an apartment nearly as nice as this one! The irony of it is heartbreaking. In her mind the fact that I am not "used" to being here makes me uniquely unqualified to take care of myself at the age of almost 40. But this is just a way of life for these 15-16 year old kids that she has know for years. When they are released from the orphanage, or Internat, or Children's Home or whatever you want to call it, that's it! And they don't have anyone to be worried about them. I could go on and on and on about this, and kinda sorta already did. I think I am being overly sensitive to the fact that my daughter can see her breath at night *in her bedroom* because it is so cold and she is sitting there buried under a pile of coats to keep warm worrying about me!
On top of all of that, one of Alex' roommates has a tooth that is really bothering her. She let me take a look at it. It is rotten on one side and bleeding and needs to come out. She keeps trying to pull it out herself because she is too scared to go to the dentist. Which I guess I don't blame her as they don't use any pain killers anyway. I feel a tangent coming on so I think it's time to sign off!
S~
While I was sitting in Alex' room one of her teachers came in to get the girls to go shopping to buy gifts for the boys in their class for Men's Day. She invited me to come along. We walked to a few little "shops" that would be considered flea markets in the United States. The teacher ended up getting each boy a sports themed coffee mug. While I don't know that they will be drinking coffee, I do believe tea drinking is pretty normal here for the teens. Then we went to a tool shop and Alex wanted to get her male teacher some kind of power tool (sander, maybe?). She asked if I could buy it and I wasn't about to turn her down. After we left the store Alex told me that her teacher was hoping Jeff was still here because she was wanting him to make sure the power tool we were getting was a good one! She was disappointed when Alex told her Daddy had gone back to America already.
I have come down with a slight chest cold. It is truly not a big deal, but I sound *terrible*! It is both comical and painful to listen to me talk. (Please, no cracks here about how that's not any different from any other time!) What I wasn't expecting from this was how upset and worried Alex would be about it. We had gotten her some very good throat lozenges for the chest cold she had last week (hmmm...starting to put 2 & 2 together, here!) and she made me take what was left. Then she gave me instructions to drink tea with honey and to put a hot compress on my chest. Then tonight while we were on the phone she told me she was very scared for me staying by myself in the apartment. I tried to reassure her that I felt very safe here. Never mind the fact that in just a little over a year from now all of her friends will be on their own and probably not in an apartment nearly as nice as this one! The irony of it is heartbreaking. In her mind the fact that I am not "used" to being here makes me uniquely unqualified to take care of myself at the age of almost 40. But this is just a way of life for these 15-16 year old kids that she has know for years. When they are released from the orphanage, or Internat, or Children's Home or whatever you want to call it, that's it! And they don't have anyone to be worried about them. I could go on and on and on about this, and kinda sorta already did. I think I am being overly sensitive to the fact that my daughter can see her breath at night *in her bedroom* because it is so cold and she is sitting there buried under a pile of coats to keep warm worrying about me!
On top of all of that, one of Alex' roommates has a tooth that is really bothering her. She let me take a look at it. It is rotten on one side and bleeding and needs to come out. She keeps trying to pull it out herself because she is too scared to go to the dentist. Which I guess I don't blame her as they don't use any pain killers anyway. I feel a tangent coming on so I think it's time to sign off!
S~
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Day 22
Not too much new to report. Alex is in charge of the artwork for the celebrations next week so she had to spend quite a bit of our time together working on that. I hung out and read for a while then went to 999 Cafe with Julie (another American adopting from Lutugino) for a cup of coffee. Alex showed up there after asking permission from her teacher to join me.
Every day I stop at the supermarket to pick up goodies to take back to Alex and sometimes her friends. You aren't allowed to take backpacks or purchases from other stores into the supermarket so you have to check whatever you might have at a locker station at the entrance of the store. Of course there is always someone from the store at the entrance to make sure nothing is brought in. It is almost always the same man standing there when I go in. After I checked my bag I made a beeline for the small baskets to carry items vs. a shopping cart and the store employee maneuvered his way around the person in front of me and (with a smile on his face) started rattling off lots of Russian words. The one word I caught was, "Americanski". I assumed he was asking me if I was American. I replied, "yes", and he smiled very big and just stood there. It took a few seconds for him to realize that we weren't going to be able to communicate and he motioned me into the store. I felt really bad because I could tell he really wanted to know why I was in Lugans'k. This isn't exactly a tourist destination, or even a big gateway city for that matter. Tonight I shall practice saying, "Dobroe Utro" in my very best Russian accent (HA!) so I can say a proper "Good Morning" to the man. I'm sure that will get a few chuckles from anyone within earshot!
I returned Alex' cell phone to her this afternoon. She just laughed about the fact that I had it. She said it took her a few hours yesterday to remember that she had asked me to hold onto it. Then she asked me why I didn't answer her phone when she called it last night! Ummmm....because I didn't know it was her and I didn't want to confuse anyone on the other end! She called her phone because she knew that number. She doesn't have my phone number memorized. If she had texted me on her phone I would have checked it! She did get a few texts on it and I used an online translator to decipher what the texts said. Nothing from her, though. Oh well...lesson learned!
I get my girl in ten days! That's right...I now only have ten days of my ten day waiting period left! While I am anxious to get my girl, I am enjoying this chapter of life very much.
Off I go to practice my Russian accent. :)
S~
Every day I stop at the supermarket to pick up goodies to take back to Alex and sometimes her friends. You aren't allowed to take backpacks or purchases from other stores into the supermarket so you have to check whatever you might have at a locker station at the entrance of the store. Of course there is always someone from the store at the entrance to make sure nothing is brought in. It is almost always the same man standing there when I go in. After I checked my bag I made a beeline for the small baskets to carry items vs. a shopping cart and the store employee maneuvered his way around the person in front of me and (with a smile on his face) started rattling off lots of Russian words. The one word I caught was, "Americanski". I assumed he was asking me if I was American. I replied, "yes", and he smiled very big and just stood there. It took a few seconds for him to realize that we weren't going to be able to communicate and he motioned me into the store. I felt really bad because I could tell he really wanted to know why I was in Lugans'k. This isn't exactly a tourist destination, or even a big gateway city for that matter. Tonight I shall practice saying, "Dobroe Utro" in my very best Russian accent (HA!) so I can say a proper "Good Morning" to the man. I'm sure that will get a few chuckles from anyone within earshot!
I returned Alex' cell phone to her this afternoon. She just laughed about the fact that I had it. She said it took her a few hours yesterday to remember that she had asked me to hold onto it. Then she asked me why I didn't answer her phone when she called it last night! Ummmm....because I didn't know it was her and I didn't want to confuse anyone on the other end! She called her phone because she knew that number. She doesn't have my phone number memorized. If she had texted me on her phone I would have checked it! She did get a few texts on it and I used an online translator to decipher what the texts said. Nothing from her, though. Oh well...lesson learned!
I get my girl in ten days! That's right...I now only have ten days of my ten day waiting period left! While I am anxious to get my girl, I am enjoying this chapter of life very much.
Off I go to practice my Russian accent. :)
S~
Friday, February 18, 2011
Day 21
Had a good visit with Miss A today. There was an assembly at school today to honor veterans. All of the kids had to wear their school uniform which consisted of black pants/white shirts for the boys and black skirts/white shirts for the girls. They all looked very sharp in their uniforms. Alex wasn't part of the assembly so we sat together on the back row to watch. I have no clue what was said, but A assured me it was boring. :)
Today I also got to watch Alex in her PE class. It usually smells like a giant, well used sweat sock in the gym! But today it was so cold in there I didn't notice any smell. That class is like a free-for-all. There doesn't seem to be an organized activity for the entire class. Some kids worked on tumbling, some sat around and talked and some played a Ukrainian version of "H-O-R-S-E" with the coach. (Man o man does Alex suck at basketball!) What adds to the confusion (for me, anyway) is that all the kids kick off their shoes before entering the gym. So some are in just socks and others put on house slippers. To play basketball!
Alex is very excited about school next week as they have various competitions and events planned. February 23 is "Mens Day". I could compare it to Father's Day except that it is to celebrate all men and boys, not just dads. Alex said that each class will do something special for the boys and male teachers. I am finding myself very happy that there are only four boys in her class as she asked if I could purchase something (supplies maybe?) for the event. She hasn't told me exactly what she needs me to get yet. Next week should be a fun one to be at the school and see everything going on.
Alex asked me to put her cell phone in my bag today to hold onto. I, of course, forgot to give it back to her. And in turn, she forgot to ask for it back! I have sent text messages to two of her friends but I haven't heard from her so I'm not sure it she has gotten the messages. Hopefully she isn't panicking that the phone is lost! Oh well. She'll get it back tomorrow around noon.
The puppies from yesterday's adventure are still enjoying the food that Kelly brought for them. When we drove by today they were all in a circle with their noses to the ground eating out of the bag. Yes, I know we littered. Yes, it was worth it. :)
Only 11 days left in the 10 day waiting period. :) I think the next week is going to fly by! I am really enjoying being here. I miss R&M, of course, but I am really glad to be here right now. I am so glad to have seen where my girl has been for so long. To meet her friends has been simply wonderful. These kids are really, truly amazing. I am a little afraid that I will be crying harder than Alex when it is time to pick her up and say goodbye to everyone. This trip has been a true blessing.
S~
Today I also got to watch Alex in her PE class. It usually smells like a giant, well used sweat sock in the gym! But today it was so cold in there I didn't notice any smell. That class is like a free-for-all. There doesn't seem to be an organized activity for the entire class. Some kids worked on tumbling, some sat around and talked and some played a Ukrainian version of "H-O-R-S-E" with the coach. (Man o man does Alex suck at basketball!) What adds to the confusion (for me, anyway) is that all the kids kick off their shoes before entering the gym. So some are in just socks and others put on house slippers. To play basketball!
Alex is very excited about school next week as they have various competitions and events planned. February 23 is "Mens Day". I could compare it to Father's Day except that it is to celebrate all men and boys, not just dads. Alex said that each class will do something special for the boys and male teachers. I am finding myself very happy that there are only four boys in her class as she asked if I could purchase something (supplies maybe?) for the event. She hasn't told me exactly what she needs me to get yet. Next week should be a fun one to be at the school and see everything going on.
Alex asked me to put her cell phone in my bag today to hold onto. I, of course, forgot to give it back to her. And in turn, she forgot to ask for it back! I have sent text messages to two of her friends but I haven't heard from her so I'm not sure it she has gotten the messages. Hopefully she isn't panicking that the phone is lost! Oh well. She'll get it back tomorrow around noon.
The puppies from yesterday's adventure are still enjoying the food that Kelly brought for them. When we drove by today they were all in a circle with their noses to the ground eating out of the bag. Yes, I know we littered. Yes, it was worth it. :)
Only 11 days left in the 10 day waiting period. :) I think the next week is going to fly by! I am really enjoying being here. I miss R&M, of course, but I am really glad to be here right now. I am so glad to have seen where my girl has been for so long. To meet her friends has been simply wonderful. These kids are really, truly amazing. I am a little afraid that I will be crying harder than Alex when it is time to pick her up and say goodbye to everyone. This trip has been a true blessing.
S~
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Day 20 -Kids of the soft, furry, cuddly, sharp teeth kind
On our daily commute back to Lugans'k from Lutugino we always see a litter of puppies at a specific spot on the side of the road. Usually their momma is with them. My friend, Kelly, has been wanting to stop and feed them for the last two weeks and today was the big day. Kelly bought a bag of dog food and our driver surprised us by getting a big bag of meaty bones. We pulled over about 30 yards from where the puppies usually are and got out of the car. One came running over and then another and another until there were seven puppies surrounding us. Momma was nowhere in site. Kelly opened the bag of dog food first and scattered some on the ground and the puppies went to town. Then one of them found the bag of bones and tore into it. After the bones were distributed Kelly put the open bag of dog food against the wall, we watched the very happy puppies devour their goodies and then we left. Hopefully the momma returns to find a leftover bone or two and the bag of food.
Here are some photos from the feeding frenzy:
And yes, I visited with Miss A today. She is doing well, but missing her Daddy already. Here she is posing with one of her friend's "guns". Don't worry, not real!
Here are some photos from the feeding frenzy:
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| The first puppy to find the bones |
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| I will admit it: I have a favorite and this one is it! |
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| These two got into a little scuffle but tossing a bone between them resolved it |
And yes, I visited with Miss A today. She is doing well, but missing her Daddy already. Here she is posing with one of her friend's "guns". Don't worry, not real!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Day 19 - T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!
As I mentioned previously, the Fabulous Miss A has one foot out the door. I'm actually beginning to think she has both feet out the door with her nose pressed against the window singing Nanny-Nanny-Boo-Boo to everyone passing by. She is finding a way to get into trouble each day. Sometimes it's for her cell phone, sometimes her MP3 player, sometime she's just being sassy and (dare I say it?) mouthing off to teachers. Not everyone at her school is very happy about this adoption, specifically a few of her teachers. I keep trying to tell her she has almost two weeks left and that she is only making it more difficult on herself but I don't think it's really sinking in. I hope that she doesn't push it so far that she loses visitation rights until I can take custody. The director of the school has been amazingly wonderful to us and I don't want to jeopardize that relationship. I just need A to hold on and not cause too much trouble for 13 more days!
Jeff is packing to leave in the morning. Tonight we will have dinner with the Merritts, Brownlows and Sergei the Incredible Facilitator. The Merritts have court on Thursday and begin their trip back to Atlanta on Friday. Good stuff!
S~
Jeff is packing to leave in the morning. Tonight we will have dinner with the Merritts, Brownlows and Sergei the Incredible Facilitator. The Merritts have court on Thursday and begin their trip back to Atlanta on Friday. Good stuff!
S~
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
No longer the Fabulous Miss O...
Introducing the Fabulous Miss A
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| Alexandria Olga Pirkey But you can call her Alex :) |
Our court date is over! It was slightly nerve wracking but we all survived and our petition to adopt Olga and change her name was granted. Of course the prosecutor didn't show up at 2:00 when our appointment was. The judge started without him and asked 45 minutes worth of questions in the attempt to stall hoping the prosecutor would eventually show up! Finally we were dismissed to the hallway to wait for the prosecutor. He came a few minutes later and we all filed back into the room. The judge asked if anyone objected to our petition and the prosecutor stood up and said, "Nyet". We were then all dismissed again for deliberation. That took appoximately two minutes. We all filed back into the room and went through the formalities. Just like that Olga's name was changed and we are her parents! :) Now the mandatory 10 (14) day wait begins. Without paperwork issues I should be able to take custody of Alex on March 1.
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| The three of us with the judge |
The hardest part of court was watching Alex tear up when the orphanage attorney talked about how she was abandoned at the hospital, parental rights were terminated and how not a single soul had visited her for her entire life. No punches were pulled. It was made clear that no one has ever cared about the welfare of our girl before us. She has been well cared for in the orphanage. But I think we all know that isn't the same thing.
That chapter in her life is closed, but there is nothing I can do to make her forget it. All we can do now is move forward and love her like there is no tomorrow.
Forgot to post our Valentine from O!
O was very excited to share her Valentine for us yesterday and I cannot believe I forgot to share it with all of you!
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| I love that O used photos of her family to make her Valentine! |
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| I love you I love you more It is always an argument regarding who loves whom more! |
Monday, February 14, 2011
Day 17 - Court Tomorrow
So we have court tomorrow! Tomorrow is the day that our girl becomes our girl *legally*! She is so funny. In school the teachers call the students by their last names first and first names last. She said when her teacher calls on her tomorrow she will say, "Who is this person? I do not know that name!". Hopefully she remembers that she will still have two weeks at school before we can take custody. She definitely has one foot out the door and has perhaps become a smidgen sassy with her teachers.
We brought her a cute little stuffed Valentine's bear and some chocolate candy today. Or, as she likes to call it, candies of chocolate. We also brought her BFF, Violetta, a stuffed bear and candy. Those two girls are crazy silly together and I know they will miss each other very much when Olga comes home. Olga named her stuffed bear "Violetta".
The first two weeks of our trip were relatively mild weather wise. It is brutally cold now. The sidewalks are completely iced over making walking a mental task. There is no coming to a quick stop unless you actually slide into a wall. The temperature is supposed to bottom out on Wednesday and then warm up enough for it to possibly snow over the upcoming weekend. I can't actually complain too loudly, though, as this is the type of weather I was expecting for the entire trip.
Jeff is going home on Thursday. Our friends, the Merritts, have their court on Thursday so they will both be returning home for their ten day wait on Friday. Our translator is going home to see his wife and child for a week or so as well, so I am going to be on my own! I'm sure I will be fine, though. I have my favorite coffee shop, a few places to eat and two supermarkets within a five minute walk of my apartment. I will still have a driver every day to take me to Lutugino to see my girl, as well. I see me getting a lot of good use out of my Kindle for the next two weeks. :)
Court is tomorrow at 2:00 local time, 7:00AM for my east coast friends. If you are up and thinking about us, we are happily accepting prayers for successful court.
We brought her a cute little stuffed Valentine's bear and some chocolate candy today. Or, as she likes to call it, candies of chocolate. We also brought her BFF, Violetta, a stuffed bear and candy. Those two girls are crazy silly together and I know they will miss each other very much when Olga comes home. Olga named her stuffed bear "Violetta".
The first two weeks of our trip were relatively mild weather wise. It is brutally cold now. The sidewalks are completely iced over making walking a mental task. There is no coming to a quick stop unless you actually slide into a wall. The temperature is supposed to bottom out on Wednesday and then warm up enough for it to possibly snow over the upcoming weekend. I can't actually complain too loudly, though, as this is the type of weather I was expecting for the entire trip.
Jeff is going home on Thursday. Our friends, the Merritts, have their court on Thursday so they will both be returning home for their ten day wait on Friday. Our translator is going home to see his wife and child for a week or so as well, so I am going to be on my own! I'm sure I will be fine, though. I have my favorite coffee shop, a few places to eat and two supermarkets within a five minute walk of my apartment. I will still have a driver every day to take me to Lutugino to see my girl, as well. I see me getting a lot of good use out of my Kindle for the next two weeks. :)
Court is tomorrow at 2:00 local time, 7:00AM for my east coast friends. If you are up and thinking about us, we are happily accepting prayers for successful court.
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| I need to learn to hand the camera to someone else so I get a few more photos of me with my girl! |
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| Meet Violetta the Valentine Bear |
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Day 16 - Photos around Lutugino
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| School |
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| Ambulance |
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| Dormitory |
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| Around Lutugino |
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| School Bus |
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| Around Lutugino |
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| The best (only) coffee house in Lutugino - The 999 Cafe |
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| Daddy & Olga |
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| Hangin' out at the 999 |
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| Thankfully 999 does actually have good coffee! |
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| Little Miss Sassy Pants |
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| I see you...! |
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Day 15 - More Table Tennis, Chocolate & Disney Channel!
O loves it when we come to visit, but I know she must be getting a little bored! The weather today was too wet to go outside so it was another day of table tennis, eating chocolate and watching a downloaded Disney show. It was supposed to snow all day today, but instead it rained. That should make for some interesting driving surfaces tonight when it drops another 15°. The streets are *not* graded for run off. At all. A small child could drowned in the middle of the street here! I really hope it snows tonight so the kids at school can make another ice path to skate on. We aren't allowed inside the buildings on Sundays so even though the kids can go in and out of their dorms we have to stay outside. At least if there was an ice path there would be something to do!
The school is a hopping place with adopting families these days. There are three American families and one Italian family here. Our facilitator is handling all three of the American families so he is crazy busy these days. The poor guy never gets a day off and I don't think he will get home to see his wife and son for at least another three weeks. He is simply an *amazing* facilitator and he puts up with all our silliness! We could not have hand picked someone better to do this job. We feel incredibly blessed that he is taking care of us and is so knowledgeable in this field.
We will have dinner again tonight with our facilitator, the Merritts and the "new" family which I will now refer to as the Brownlows. We made reservations tonight as last Saturday we weren't able to sit in the non-smoking section at Silver. Perhaps if the non-smoking section were bigger than three tables it wouldn't have been a problem, but non-smokers are definitely a minority here. We have dined at Silver often enough that we have officially earned a discount card. The places we go to regularly remember us and treat us well because we are darn good tippers. :) They even smile and laugh with us (or maybe at us) which is very rare around here.
I checked the extended forecast for Atlanta next week. Looks like it will be a beautiful week there! While the highs will be in the teens in Lugans'k next week I would rather be freezing here getting my girl than enjoying the sunshine in Atlanta without my *complete* family!
Hope everyone is having a GREAT weekend!
S~
The school is a hopping place with adopting families these days. There are three American families and one Italian family here. Our facilitator is handling all three of the American families so he is crazy busy these days. The poor guy never gets a day off and I don't think he will get home to see his wife and son for at least another three weeks. He is simply an *amazing* facilitator and he puts up with all our silliness! We could not have hand picked someone better to do this job. We feel incredibly blessed that he is taking care of us and is so knowledgeable in this field.
We will have dinner again tonight with our facilitator, the Merritts and the "new" family which I will now refer to as the Brownlows. We made reservations tonight as last Saturday we weren't able to sit in the non-smoking section at Silver. Perhaps if the non-smoking section were bigger than three tables it wouldn't have been a problem, but non-smokers are definitely a minority here. We have dined at Silver often enough that we have officially earned a discount card. The places we go to regularly remember us and treat us well because we are darn good tippers. :) They even smile and laugh with us (or maybe at us) which is very rare around here.
I checked the extended forecast for Atlanta next week. Looks like it will be a beautiful week there! While the highs will be in the teens in Lugans'k next week I would rather be freezing here getting my girl than enjoying the sunshine in Atlanta without my *complete* family!
Hope everyone is having a GREAT weekend!
S~
Friday, February 11, 2011
Day 14
Another good day with our girl. She had dance class at 3:00 so we left then instead of our usual 4:00. It sounds like she is getting a bit of a cold or perhaps even a sinus infection. I pray it's just a cold as sometimes they send the kids off to the hospital for minor things because they don't want it spreading throughout the school.
Another family from GA arrived this morning to adopt a boy from O's school. This boy is only 11 so O only knows him by sight. The "new" family, the Merritts, Jeff and I along with our facilitator met up for dinner. We go to the same pizza place several times a week and usually have the same server. I think he is getting used to the crazy Americans.
This morning we met the Merritts for coffee before going to the school at another one of our "regular" places. This was the first time going in without our translator. We had the same server we always have and it turns out she actually speaks a bit of English. She seemed happy to be able to practice using it with us. She had never tried before because our facilitator/translator has always been with us. In Kyiv we met several people who knew a little English, but here in Lugans'k it is not common at all. The few words I know in Russian usually draw giggles or eye rolls when I use them.
It is supposed to snow all day tomorrow with it turning into heavy snow by tomorrow evening. So far the weather here has not been bad at all. Or perhaps I was just expecting it to be so much worse than I should have. Or, maybe it's the fact that I wear heavy boots, two pairs of socks, long underwear under my jeans, two long sleeved shirts under my fleece or sweater, a down coat, heavy gloves, scarf and hat.
We have court in four itty bitty days! Since we have already been grilled by the Inspector, Assistant Director and Director about why we want to adopt O it would be nice if the Judge would take it easy on us. I'm not holding my breath. It is a very important day, and I know that the judge would be remiss in his duties if he didn't question us and our motives thoroughly.
One of these days I will actually take a few great photos to share. Today isn't that day! Enjoy the one and only photo I have for the day (and a blurry photo at that!) and hopefully I will get on the ball tomorrow!
Another family from GA arrived this morning to adopt a boy from O's school. This boy is only 11 so O only knows him by sight. The "new" family, the Merritts, Jeff and I along with our facilitator met up for dinner. We go to the same pizza place several times a week and usually have the same server. I think he is getting used to the crazy Americans.
This morning we met the Merritts for coffee before going to the school at another one of our "regular" places. This was the first time going in without our translator. We had the same server we always have and it turns out she actually speaks a bit of English. She seemed happy to be able to practice using it with us. She had never tried before because our facilitator/translator has always been with us. In Kyiv we met several people who knew a little English, but here in Lugans'k it is not common at all. The few words I know in Russian usually draw giggles or eye rolls when I use them.
It is supposed to snow all day tomorrow with it turning into heavy snow by tomorrow evening. So far the weather here has not been bad at all. Or perhaps I was just expecting it to be so much worse than I should have. Or, maybe it's the fact that I wear heavy boots, two pairs of socks, long underwear under my jeans, two long sleeved shirts under my fleece or sweater, a down coat, heavy gloves, scarf and hat.
We have court in four itty bitty days! Since we have already been grilled by the Inspector, Assistant Director and Director about why we want to adopt O it would be nice if the Judge would take it easy on us. I'm not holding my breath. It is a very important day, and I know that the judge would be remiss in his duties if he didn't question us and our motives thoroughly.
One of these days I will actually take a few great photos to share. Today isn't that day! Enjoy the one and only photo I have for the day (and a blurry photo at that!) and hopefully I will get on the ball tomorrow!
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| We told O we needed to take a picture of her for her new passport. She made sure to fix her hair, put on a bit of makeup and get dolled up in a cute skirt & top for the grand event. Silly girl! It was a head and shoulder shot and she wasn't even allowed to smile for it! But, she did look awfully cute! Here she is playing on my laptop. |
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Ice Path Video
Not too sure if this video will load or not, but O used her camera to video a few boys on the ice path.
Day 13
We had snow this morning which didn't really seem to stick. On Saturday we are supposed to have "heavy" snow. I'm interested in finding out what Ukrainians think is "heavy" snow. Or, perhaps I'm not. :)
We spent the afternoon with O again and filled the time with eating chocolate, watching a Disney show Jeff had downloaded onto his iPhone, playing table tennis and Backgammon and of course being silly and chit-chatting. O has been able to get out of going to several classes because we are there which she, of course, loves.
I took a few photos of the view from our apartment. We are living on a very busy street, but on the fifth floor we don't seem to hear too much noise. I absolutely love the location of this apartment. We can walk to several supermarkets, several restaurants, money exchange locations and a very cool open air market that sells everything from ladies lingerie (uhhh...no thanks) to whole fish and freshly slaughtered pigs (eww). Olga had mentioned a few times that her shoes were filling up with water. I thought she must be getting snow in from the top until I made her show me the bottom of her shoes. They were split wide open so every time she walked through even a small puddle water got in. She did NOT want to show me the shoes because she was embarrassed. I went to the very cool open air market and got her a pair of boots that should keep her feet both warm and DRY!
Here are a few photos:
We spent the afternoon with O again and filled the time with eating chocolate, watching a Disney show Jeff had downloaded onto his iPhone, playing table tennis and Backgammon and of course being silly and chit-chatting. O has been able to get out of going to several classes because we are there which she, of course, loves.
I took a few photos of the view from our apartment. We are living on a very busy street, but on the fifth floor we don't seem to hear too much noise. I absolutely love the location of this apartment. We can walk to several supermarkets, several restaurants, money exchange locations and a very cool open air market that sells everything from ladies lingerie (uhhh...no thanks) to whole fish and freshly slaughtered pigs (eww). Olga had mentioned a few times that her shoes were filling up with water. I thought she must be getting snow in from the top until I made her show me the bottom of her shoes. They were split wide open so every time she walked through even a small puddle water got in. She did NOT want to show me the shoes because she was embarrassed. I went to the very cool open air market and got her a pair of boots that should keep her feet both warm and DRY!
Here are a few photos:
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| More table tennis |
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| View from apartment |
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| View from apartment |
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| View from apartment |
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| View from apartment |
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| Backgammon with Daddy |
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| Olga beating Daddy in backgammon |
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Day 12
We had a really great day with the Fabulous Miss O today. We got there at noon and left at 4:00. We told her about our court date and how her ten day wait will be a fourteen day wait. She took it in stride and said that was okay. She is very excited that she will still be here on the 23rd as she has a big dance competition that day. Today was filled with talking, backgammon, giggles, table tennis, hugs and lots and lots of love! She was so excited to hear that she will have her new last name come Tuesday. One of her teachers today told us she was a bad girl and then laughed. I said, "Dah, dah", which was met with laughter. The teacher stroked the side of O's face and it was very obvious how much she cares for our girl. Olga will be missed by many people there.
Our friends that are here adopting got some great news today. They had a paperwork hangup that they were hoping to get resolved today and it did! They should get their court date very soon! Tonight we will have a celebratory dinner as they can now send their papers to the SDA in Kyiv.
Our friends that are here adopting got some great news today. They had a paperwork hangup that they were hoping to get resolved today and it did! They should get their court date very soon! Tonight we will have a celebratory dinner as they can now send their papers to the SDA in Kyiv.
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