Rainy Sunday

1. Ana's group surrounding one of their caregivers, Lydia Alexandrovna.

2. Ana's group heading back to the building after morning's recess.

3. Ana in the orphanage, eating perhaps the worst chips I have ever tasted. (They are "kholodets" and horseradish flavored -- kholodets being a dish consisting of meat parts in aspic).

[Phil]

Hi, everyone. It's just me tonight. Robin is up in the hotel room watching a DVD on the laptop. There's not much news to tell. I woke up feeling even sicker than yesterday, so Robin agreed to make the morning visit to the orphanage by herself (but only after I promised to do the same for her sometime!). She got there shortly after 11AM, and they started gathering the kids to go back inside around 11;45, so it wasn't too bad of a shift for Robin. She came back to the room and did crossword puzzles while I dozed. I finally roused myself around 2:00, and we went to a kind of off-the-beaten path restaurant called The Brooklyn Cafe for a late brunch. We were the only people there (sound familiar?). I swear, I have no idea how some of these places stay in business. I guess the overhead is low.

On our way back to the hotel, we saw a lot of black clouds to the east. Sure enough, right around 5:00 it started raining. We headed off to the orphanage, since we knew Ana was expecting us. All the kids were inside their individual group areas, so we went upstairs and retrieved Ana. Mama Oksana, tonight's caregiver, told us we could just take Ana down to the main hall (kind of a ballroom, actually) and play with her there. She was very verbal this evening, but I had no idea what she was trying to say most of the time. After about 10 minutes, Dasha showed up, fresh from a car trip to visit her adoptive parents' hometown. She was in a really good mood, even by Dasha standards. I later found out from Mama Oksana that Dasha will be adopted on October 16th. I don't know if that's the actual adoption day or the court date, but I'm glad she'll be out of the orphanage and going to school.

During our playtime with Ana, our facilitator in Kyiv called to just go over a few things in anticipation of Tuesday's hearing. He feels very confident and so do we, but we're not making plane reservations just yet. Tomorrow we'll meet with Kostya and try to tie up any loose ends. Also, our friend Colleen is still in Kiev. She's actually traveling back late Monday night (in a Deluxe this time) and is bringing us our approval letter from the Federal adoption body. Meanwhile, please keep her in your thoughts. She's trying to adopt a severely disabled girl from an orphanage near Kiev (in addition to the healthy girl she's adopting from here), and tomorrow morning she will find out whether the court will allow it. Burn some candles for her!

Under the Weather

1. Dasha and Ana on the "rocket"

2. Bookstore warning signs

3. Dasha in the playroom for Ana's group

4. Ana's bed.

5. View of the group's bedroom

6. Ana with her towel

7. Ana stacking the puzzle pieces

[Robin]
We both started the day off with sore throats. We may finally be succumbing to the kindergarten’s germ charms. We went to the orphanage fairly early because we had been told by the caregiver that Ana had looked out of the window for us the previous morning, and when we didn’t come, she cried (we went to the big market in the morning, foregoing the orphanage until the afternoon). Lesson learned!
When we got there today, the kids were in full force in the playground. We watched Ana and Dasha play on various equipment, particularly a climbing set that included a pole that they could slide down. Phil helped Ana navigate the steps up and the jumping onto the pole.

[Phil]
As usual, she had no fear on the jungle gym. We’re going to have to watch her like a hawk in Chapel Hill. I see many skinned knees and elbows in her future.
So after the morning session at the orphanage, we decided to go check out the movie schedule at the local theater. The only two films playing are the Bourne Ultimatum (which we’ve seen) and that Adam Sandler movie where he and his pal pretend to be gay in order to get domestic partnership benefits. It was showing at 3:30, but we really wondered whether we would have the required audience of 7 to see the movie. Even though it was an overcast, gray day, there appeared to be no one in the theater besides the employees. We left and decided that we’d come back right at 3:30 and hope for a quorum. After the theater, we went to the bookstore near the Palace of Culture. We found only a few books in English (mostly business-related or classics like Oliver Twist), but we did get two things for Ana: a puzzle that teaches you numbers and a sticker book. I also made sure to photograph the signs at the entrance that said "No entry with Beer" and "No Entry with Ice Cream". If such signs seem at all unusual to you, you have never been to Ukraine!

[Robin]
After the bookstore we went and had lunch at the Pizza place. Then we walked home to hang out in our hotel room. I had brought a book of NY crossword puzzles with me, and we handed these brain-testers back and forth for a good part of the afternoon. We also watched a reality show from Australia where they sent two groups of people to try to live like their ancestors did 200 years before. They were descendents of the Aborigines and a group of people who were descendants from places like Ireland, Britain, and Africa. I guess the idea was to see how well the two groups did at surviving. So far, you can probably guess which group is doing better—yep, the Aborigines have managed to fish and set up a comfortable camp; the other group is still busy gathering firewood and eating the supplies they brought with them.

[Phil]
We also saw yet another version of Skating with the Stars last night. I don’t know whether it was a current series or a repeat, but it was very entertaining. Probably the strangest portion of the show was when an old, gray-haired former hockey player dressed up in his uniform (minus the helmet) and did a sickly romantic routine with his scantily-clad daughter. The Ick Factor was very high.

[Robin]
It rained this afternoon, and so when we went back to the orphanage all the kids were indoors. This gave us an excellent opportunity to see where Ana sleeps and where the kids shower, etc. It is nice and neat and clean. This orphanage is really well-run. The little kid’s beds are all individual and all in the same room. The caregiver said they go to bed at 8:30 p.m. and get up at 7:15 a.m.

[Phil]
Also, all the kids have individual lockers, individual towel hooks, and their names painted across the headboards of their individual beds. Ana’s says "Nastyenka", which is an even more diminutive form of Anastasia.
Right now we’re at Restaurant Premier, sitting outside on the patio. Meanwhile, there’s a raucous wedding party going on inside. As I type this, the bride just walked out onto the patio. I thought she was going to smoke a cigarette or something, but she’s just talking to her friends. She’s sporting some major artificial bling. I wish I had the sequin contract for Ukraine (along with the brake pad contract – I would be rich!). Robin said she wants the French bakery contract, as they have nothing even remotely like that here.

[Robin]
Yes, I think I could make some mula from a culture that loves sweets but has not discovered the chocolate croissant. On another note, lots of people still smoke here, especially the young/teenagers. Every table in the restaurant is adorned with its own ashtray. Another aspect of their disdain of safety is that they drive really, really fast and no one wears seat belts. In fact, all the trips we have been on, be it in a mini-van, taxi or car, have all been sans seat belts.

[Phil]
Yes, this is a country where you just have to go with the flow. There’s no use in fighting it.

The Big Market

1. Stained glass archway above the entrance to the indoor part of the market

2. WWII memorial in Kramatorsk

3. Robin at the Theatre Cafe on Friday afternoon

4. Robin's flowers on our windowsill

5. Giving Ana her new sweater

6. Ana with new sweater and snack of bread (khleb)

[Robin]
I started the morning out by standing in line to exchange dollars into hrivnyah. I was cut in front of by three men and finally gave up and ended up going to the ATM in the grocery store. Not unlike other places I have traveled, you have to be pushy and assertive if you wait in line somewhere to get served. I just wasn’t in the mood this morning to be alpha dog. The morning had started off too well to get worked up, as we had decided to sleep in and to relax a little. I had worked on NY crosswords while Phil snoozed….
Today’s big plan was to go to the big outdoor/indoor market in Kramatorsk. We walked probably a mile or so to get there. It was very large, probably spanning two or three city blocks. There were individual vendors selling various products: clothes, perfume, food, stationery, shoes, etc. We stopped to buy Ana a new sweater. We decided size 30 is more accurate than the 26-28 that they told us. The sweater we bought was mainly Carolina blue (which is the color she most often chooses from the crayon box).

[Phil]
Yeah, the market was really awesome, and I wanted to take a lot of pictures there, but it seemed somehow tacky to do so. Suffice it to say, that pretty much anything you want can be found there. We bought balloons, greeting cards, a sweater, a lime, and real toilet paper, but we could have also obtained some pirated software, Ukrainian folk art, dozens of kinds of cheese and sausages, and almost every kind of perfume.
In any case, after visiting the market, we took the long way back, looking for a new restaurant. We found a nice outdoor cafй near the pizza restaurant, which was called the “Theatre Cafй”. We sat outside and watched the Friday afternoon crowd walk by: schoolchildren in their uniforms, young men with to-go beers, Ukrainian women carrying bouquets of flowers and navigating the streets in their ultra high heels, stray cats looking for scraps from the patrons, babushkas slowly making their way home, etc.

[Robin]
We had passed by a WWII memorial on our way to our lunch place and took some pictures. It was in a pretty park. Right in front of the main sculpture there was an eternal flame. The walk-way to the sculpture was lined with tombstone-like memorials. Phil said it was a memorial to the soldiers from Kramatorsk who were killed in World War II.
When we returned from our trek to the hotel, the entryway was filled with new red and white flags, and the lobby was crowded with people in business suits. It appeared to be a political rally or party for one of the election candidates.

[Phil]
Yes, it was a get-together for the supporters of one of the parties that was on the losing end of Sunday’s elections. We are both now trying to remember the name of the party leader, because she was a woman who was referred to universally by her first name (Hallelujah! Robin just remembered: it’s "Yulia"). In any case, the assembled delegation in the lobby seemed pretty happy for a minority party. There was much laughing and back-slapping. We just put our heads down and made our way to the elevator.
After an hour of so of watching the Shannon Doherty vehicle "Charmed" on Ukrainian TV, we headed out for the orphanage, new sweater in tow. As soon as we got there, Ana ran up to Robin and embraced her. We then did the usual swingset thing for a while, but we could hardly wait to give her the sweater. As you can see in the photos thus far, she basically has one red sweater that they put on her every day.

[Robin]
Phil helped her on with her new sweater. She was thrilled. We then played on the swings and then the slide, until an unfortunate head-knock made her cry. Then we just sat on the bench and watched her draw this same figure over and over in her coloring book. We finally realized that she was trying to make an "A". We think she is being taught how to spell her name. Phil asked her if it was an "A" and she nodded and said "Da." Then Dasha came over worked on spelling her name in English and Ukrainian.
We left the orphanage and went to have dinner at the Ukrainian restaurant across the way. It was packed, being Friday, and we got the last table in a little nook. A karaoke singer was providing entertainment. We ordered and ate dinner and then watched couples dancing. We eventually decided to get up and take the floor ourselves, and it was really fun to dance for a while.

[Phil]
Yes, I think this restaurant is now our favorite. They have great soups, nice waitstaff, musical entertainment, and great traditional Ukrainian dйcor. Plus, it’s way off the main street, so it’s usually just locals and us.
Okay, that’s all for now. One final note: Baxter would be happy to know that our ipod stereo that we put on shuffle is now playing "Let Me Down Easy" by the Chairmen of the Board. Beach music is playing in southeastern Ukraine!

[Robin]
Oh, last note, Marsha—thank you for your posting. Yes, I enjoyed your book (I would recommend it!). I finished it this morning. It was a wonderful diversion. And, I was thinking today about how much food evokes memories. My mother-in-law is creating a cookbook with recipes drawn from family members. My family contributed recipes from my family’s trip to Greece and Mexico, along with several Dutch recipes from my grandparents. If you want to share a certain feeling or show love, I do think it is best to do it through food J I’m already planning the menu for my Ukrainian feast to share our memories with my family and friends when we return.

[Phil]
Yes, indeed: kharcho soup, Ukrainian borsch with pampushkas, solyanka, pelmeny, varenniki, black bread, rice with vegetables, mushroom potato chips (just kidding, Glenn).

Big Papa

1. The kids taking a walk around the neighborhood

2. Getting a train ticket for Colleen

3. Who knew balloons were so fun?

4. Dasha took this photo of the 3 of us on the carousel

5. Dasha and Ana on the see-saw

6&7. Pretty much the whole group on the see-saw
8. Ana was very pleased with her "bag containing a balloon".

[Robin]
The kids call Phil "Bolshoi Papa" -- it’s pretty hysterical. We brought yet another round of balloons for the kids to their great delight. Phil is really a trooper, he has to blow all of them up and tie them because I am unable to fulfill either of these playground requirements.
The kids are so ready to have any kind of fun. At one point tonight we had just about every kid in Ana’s play group on the see-saw and got some great pictures of the kids.

[Phil]
Yeah, the balloons are always a hit, but they also cause great strife among the children. I guess anything that is in limited supply would, but it’s so much worse when you see your valued object explode in front of you and YOU ARE THE CAUSE OF IT. They always run over to me "Bolshoi Papa, give me another balloon. Mine popped." Note the passive tense. Vanya must learn not to jump on his balloon. These are the cruel lessons of the playground yard.

[Robin]
I got a real scolding this afternoon when I pushed the seesaw down on top of one of the little boys’ balloons and burst it. There were a lot of tears, accompanied by a fiery round of recriminations. Luckily Big Papa came to the rescue with yet another yellow balloon.
Ana was sporting a very cute little plastic headband this morning and she seemed to be quite taken with her look. She also received new shoes—black ones with Velcro closures
I’d say it was a fairly calm day today. Kostya, our facilitator here in Kramatorsk, went to deliver the new paperwork to Ana’s social worker and the judge, and we are under the assumption that all went well, because we haven’t heard anything from him since this morning. We also got news that our file was accepted and approved by the federal body (the SDA), and that produced a huge sigh of relief from both Phil and me. Now we just await the Tuesday court date.
Today we also got to have lunch with Colleen at the pizza place and she filled us in on her adventures. I’ll let Phil tell you about them…

[Phil]
Let’s just say that she had to share a deluxe sleeper (2 berths per room) with a well-meaning but quite drunk Ukrainian-Canadian who ended up passed out in his black bikini briefs (in his berth). We went with her to the train station this afternoon to see if we could help her get tonight’s train to Kiev (Robin will explain why she’s going there). It was 2:30 in the afternoon and the ticket agent said the only train to Kiev leaves in 2 hours. I asked Colleen if that was okay, and she basically had to accept. Then I asked if she could have a deluxe. The ticket lady said that they were all sold out. Then both Colleen and Robin started telling me to ask her things like "Can she be on a wait list? What if someone cancels? Can she have a cabin with only women?" Meanwhile, I was still thinking about how to say "berth" in Russian. Finally I told the ticket lady, "Please talk to our Ukrainian friend," and we dialed Konstantin’s number, explained the situation, and transferred the cell phone to the ticket lady through the money carousel. Konstantin couldn’t do anything either, so Colleen had to accept a ticket for a regular cabin. We rushed back to her place in a taxi and wished her well on her journey. We were reading and relaxing in our hotel room around 4:45 PM when we got an alarming text message from Colleen. She said that she was stuck in a cabin with 3 drunk, scary men. She then called me from the train and put the conductress on the line to see if I could get her berth assignment switched. The conductress was no help at all, and said that "there’s nothing to be afraid of." There probably isn’t, but it doesn’t make the trip any more pleasant, I’m sure.

[Robin]
I really admire Colleen. She’s got some guts to travel alone. I’m not sure I would have had the strength to make the trip unless I could have bought all the berths in the cabin just to not be in the same overnight car with some unknown people. (Again money here makes life so much easier). Right now we were just text messaging her to see if she is okay. She messaged back saying she was, but wasn’t planning on sleeping. Yikes.
Colleen is trying to adopt two kids, one handicapped girl in an orphanage outside of Kiev and a little girl here where Ana is located. She is all alone here because her husband had to leave to go back to work (after being here a month already). This may end up being our situation (i.e. I have to leave Phil), but we are trying to be positive and not take on any new worries now.

[Phil]
Agreed. In other news, I’m almost finished with my biography of Jessica Savitch (don’t ask), so we’re going to try to find a decent book store tomorrow. We’re also considering buying a bottom-of-the-line DVD player for our room, because there’s only so much Fashion TV one can take, even of our favorite show, the unfortunately named "F People"…

[Robin]
I am just about finished with yet another book—Pomegranate Soup. Actually, I’m not sure that’s the name, but it’s close. This one is about three sisters from Iran who emigrate to Ireland and open a restaurant. Each chapter begins with a new recipe. Reading it is making me even more hungry for some ethnic food. Last night I had pancakes with sour cream, cheese, chicken and mushrooms. It tasted great, but I swear my waistline and appetite are screaming for spicy Indian food.

[Phil]
Yeah, I asked at the front desk if there was any kind of ethnic restaurant around, and they basically said no (except the empty Chinese restaurant, where we may end up tonight).
Okay, that’s all for now. It should be a quiet few days with Kostya back in his hometown with his family and every document duly submitted for our hearing on Tuesday. We’ll try to go out and explore the city, so that at least we’ll have something to blog about.

A Good Day

1. The Balloon Man

2. Tired Ana
3. Lenin statue in Kramatorsk

4. A more dynamic Lenin Statue -- in Ana's hometown

5. Laughably outdated pro-Lenin sign in southeastern Ukraine

[Phil]
It’s been a long and nerve-wracking day, but we finally have some good news to report. The short version is this: Both Ana’s sister and the director of Ana’s orphanage agree that the best thing for Ana is that we adopt her, and they will testify thusly in court next week. The same goes for the original social worker who initially opposed the adoption. So right now there is no one opposed to the adoption. We are tremendously relived, but the judge, for whatever reason, could still rule against us next week (the hearing has been delayed), but that really seems unlikely. So we are cautiously MUCH more optimistic than we were yesterday. I’ll let Robin tell more about our day.

[Update - I forgot to mention that Ana's orphanage director said she could not make the trip, so it was just Robin, Kostya, the driver, and me]
[Robin]
We traveled all day—3 hours there, 3 hours back. We hired a driver who took us in his minivan (just like the first one, its seats were covered with pseudo-oriental rugs to protect them from wear). Most of the road to Ana’s hometown is two lanes, necessitating passing numerous trucks carrying heavy loads on very curvy and hilly terrain. Both Phil and I wanted to kiss the ground when we returned to the hotel safely. Ana’s sister’s orphanage is for older kids, so it was interesting to see teenagers running around. The sister was very sweet, pretty, and mature for her age. We (through Phil) were able to ask questions and answer her questions. She eventually wants to become an elementary school teacher. We brought her a picture book filled with pictures of Ana and of Ana with us. She was delighted to get this. We also showed her our family album and videos we had taken of us with Ana. She seemed to enjoy seeing these and our house, family, etc. We found out some more about her family situation and how Ana and she had become orphans. Nothing that she said was a surprise, and it was good to see the product of the same mother turn out so well. We’ll be seeing the sister, social worker, and orphanage director again on Tuesday at the hearing.
[Phil]
Like I said earlier, it was long day. We’re now at the Restaurant Premier, having a late dinner. It’s lunch for us, actually, since we haven’t eaten since 9:00 this morning. We’ll go post the blog soon and probably pass out in front of some Russian TV show.
[Robin]
We read our blog comments the minute we got back and it was REALLY heartening to read them and once again feel that the universe is rooting for us and Ana. I can’t tell you what a sweet surprise it was to find a post from Meridith and realize that she has been able to keep up with our experience. We have really found that it is a small world.
We have yet another weekend in front of us. We heard today about another market to visit and are looking forward to exploring that and to seeing Ana at the orphanage.
[Phil]
Yes, we need some distraction. We actually tried to go to the movies the other day, but the woman working there pointed at a sign that said "A Minimum of 7 People is Required to View a Film". We were the only people there, alas. Maybe we’ll have better luck on the weekend.
Another small thing to mention about today: As we got closer to Russia, we encountered more and more remnants of Ukraine’s Soviet past. As we passed a big monument to Lenin, the driver even mentioned to Kostya, "Shouldn’t they remove this communist stuff?" Kostya just sort of shrugged, like "Eh, whatever". The Ukrainians are now firmly in the present. When the news came on the radio about the recent developments following Sunday’s election, the driver and Kostya sat rapt with attention, and Kostya even politely shushed Robin when she tried to ask him if he’d like to have a piece of cheese while the news report was going on. Politics is serious business here!
[Robin]
One last note. We bought Ana some tights yesterday. This morning we stopped by the orphanage to see her before our trip. Maybe you can guess what she was wearing. Yes! Her new pink tights with flowers. She proudly pointed them out to me. Then caretaker smiled and kind of laughed and pointed at her bottom. Apparently we had gotten the length right, but not the girth. She had a hole in the seam right at her bottom. I had to laugh; she’s such a sturdy little rascal. We will be getting some more tights!
[Phil]
And we now know her size. In European, it’s 26-28. If you want to buy her anything, err on the side of too big. Robin just told me that the tights say "3-4", so she’s probably really a 4 in American sizes. Tomorrow we need to get her some new shoes. She had a big hole in her Nike trainers this morning.
That’s all for now. It appears that your good thoughts, prayers, candles, karma, etc., are working for us! Thank you so much.

Into October!

1. Ana and Mama Oksana (as photographed by Dasha)

2. Playing with baloon

3. All alone at the Chinese restaurant

4. Future Flying Wallenda

5. The outdoor market near the courthouse

[Robin]
We are back in our hotel room watching some National Geographic TV show about hammerhead sharks (English translated into Russian). We are seriously hurting for some entertainment. We just got off the phone with Carmen and it felt so good to talk about the Day of the Dead fundraiser for Kidzu rather than the adoption process. I am looking forward to going back to my "real" life.

We spent the afternoon at the orphanage. We spent most of our time outside pushing Dasha and Ana ‘round and ‘round on a carousel. The older kids had all requested some more balloons, so Phil blew a bunch of them up and distributed them, to their delight. They spent the rest of the time pushing the balloons up in the air and then catching them as they descended. They are really sweet and it is amazing how much these little things can make them happy. Dasha is also really a hoot and we played with her and Ana with modeling clay and made plates of clay "food". We spent time instructing both of them how to say different items in Russian and English, which Dasha really got a kick out of.

When we got back to the hotel, the couple from Spain was in the lobby and we were so excited to see them before they left the country. We hugged and wished each other good luck. We were so happy for them; they are going home with their little boy.

Tonight we received a call from our facilitator and although things are still not finalized, we have some hope that the sister may allow things to be resolved this week. We are grateful to even have a little good news. We are going back to Ana’s hometown on Wednesday to talk to her sister in person.

On a lighter note, did anyone read the post by Natalya? The "stern" woman in the Skating with the Stars is a very famous ice skating teacher. We can’t wait to find out who the other contestants are!

[Phil]
Yes, Natalya, can you tell us who the contestants are or provide a link? It seems like the audience and the judges are overly forgiving to the ex-athletes and the older contestants. And then there’s that one judge whose SON is actually one of the contestants! How did that happen?! We need an expert in Russian pop culture to tell us who these people are and who we should root for.

Okay, we’re off to find the mythical Chinese restaurant in Kramatorsk that we have heard about but have never seen. Apparently it’s on "Prospekt Mira" and is not too far from the giant Lenin statue, which is only a couple of blocks from our hotel. We would pay about any price to have some spicy food at this point!

[Tuesday afternoon]
[Phil]
The Chinese restaurant wasn’t too bad, but we were the ONLY people there. We felt a little uncomfortable, especially since there were two waitresses waiting on us. I guess they were bored. We also got upsold a LITER of hot & sour soup. We had enough left over to share with the entire readership of this blog.

We talked to our facilitator today, and he is encouraged about our trip tomorrow. Hopefully the sister will see the bond that Ana already has with Robin. There is no doubt that she considers her her mother. In any case, we are feeling more optimistic than we have in a long time, but keep those candles burning! I will not consider the adoption complete until we are wheels-up on the airplane back home.

Robin has just returned from her shower. The hot water supply is very unpredictable, so you have to seize the opportunity when it arises. I’ll let he describe our trip to the photographer’s studio with Ana this morning.

[Robin]
We went to the orphanage this morning to meet Kostya and found out we needed to take Ana to the photography studio to get her picture taken for her passport (yes, we loved the sound of that!). A representative from the orphanage had to come with us, and so the really nice secretary hopped in a cab with us. It was pretty funny seeing Phil (with his knees scrunched up to his chest), the secretary, Ana, and me all in the back seat. We looked like we were ready for a Chinese firedrill. When we got to the studio Ana wasn’t at all shy about getting her picture taken -- she moved her head around based on what the photographer told her and kind of posed. She’s a ham. When it was finished, she stood with her little hand and foot cocked like a fashion model. The Secretary and I laughed. We didn’t need to go back to the orphanage, so we proceeded to try to put Ana in the car with the secretary and send them off. Ana started to tear up and really didn’t want us to leave her, so we all hopped back in the cab to take her back. We are such softies.

We are now going to get some pictures developed in hopes that we could give these to the sister tomorrow. We both have major butterflies thinking about the meeting. We really hope that it goes well; I guess that goes without saying. We have no idea what it will be like, but I’m really hoping that she asks us questions about how we would care for Ana rather than sit silently and just look at us. It’s unbelievable that we will be traveling in the very same minivan with the same driver, but this time with Ana and a representative from the orphanage along with us. We bought Ana some toys at an outdoor market near here for the long car ride. We also finally got her size(s) and bought her some new tights (yes, Barb, they are very cute!). The outdoor market was the place to be; lots of people were shopping at the various kiosks for everything from detergent to sausages to toys to shovels. It was very similar to the markets in Mexico, except no one was cooking food.

[Phil]
Thanks again for all the comments. We’ll try to check in one more time after the late afternoon visit. By the way, the Ukrainian couple that is going to adopt Dasha was at the orphanage. She was so excited, and had on a cute purple dress. The orphanage secretary came by and told Dasha that her father is really good-looking. The same can be said of the secretary! Spott, we’ll try to bring her home with us as well.

Just Another Monday

1. Ana without the hair ribbons.

2. Vanya (photographed by Dasha). We heard today that a family has chosen him.

3. Robin and Ana on the slide.

4. Ana's customary letting-go of the swing. She seems to have figured out that the centrifugal force will keep her from falling out.

[Phil]
So far it’s been a typical day for us. We slept in a little, stopped by the store to get waters and treats for the kids, walked to the orphanage for the morning visiting hours, and then had lunch at the pizza place. This afternoon Robin has been working and I’ve been watching Russian TV (National Geographic). We’re going to the internet cafe soon, and then we’ll head back over to the orphanage around 5:00.
One piece of good news: I had lost my sunglasses the other day, and it occurred to me that I might have left them at the orphanage. So today I asked Dasha if anyone had seen them. She first said no, but then thought for a second and said that they were in the laundry room. She went back to the building and returned my sunglasses. I owe her many chips and mineral waters for that alone!
[Robin]
We also got a call from our facilitator and it looks like we’ll have some resolution this week. That’s good news for our sanity.
Ana and her little playmates were enjoying the sunshine this morning, playing on the swings, slide, and climbing bars. They have a lot of energy. It looks like one of the little boys from the orphanage has been successfully adopted by the Spanish couple as they weren’t there today. That is great news for that child.
I’ve been reading books in our downtime and have finished off two already: "A Family Daughter" and "Madonnas of Leningrad". They were both well-written, but I liked the latter better as the subject matter (art museum docent trapped in Leningrad during the Nazi invasion) was more interesting to me.