Babushka, Dedushka, and another Babushka were with Danya this morning when we arrived! We haven't had a big family visit in a while, so it was nice. We played charades for a bit and tried to use the translator app on my phone to limited success. Then I remembered that our driver today spoke some English, and he was gracious enough to participate in the conversation :)
Two talking points- they wanted to know when we were coming to visit the orphanage and how long we would be in country. They wanted to know if we could send them updates, photos, etc, after we bring him home (of course!!). They also had a necklace with a cross that they wanted to give to us to keep for Danila until he was old enough to wear it without putting it in his mouth or breaking the chain. I love this. I love that they want him to have that :)
Fun stuff:
all the grandparents are learning ASL along with Danila :)
Danila loves balloons
...and grapes
...and toy guns
...and pretend "ninja" fighting with his Dedushka!
We were able to share our photos with the new grandma (I think this is Grandma on his father's side...? Not sure.) They are all so super sweet. We got many hugs and kisses from them, and thumbs up and some tears. I just wish that we could just tell the courts that everyone agrees with us bringing Danila home with us. How much easier this process would be!
As far as our appeal goes, it is supposed to be submitted today by Tatyana. I haven't heard anything from her, but assume that everything is going according to plan. It would be lovely to hear about our actual appeal date tomorrow. I hate being in limbo.
We're changing it up and visitng Danila every other day now, because we need to save money on our driver fees in the event that we have to stay longer in country. It sucks, because we feel like the only useful thing that we are doing here is visiting our boy...ah, well. We are quickly finding out that they way we *thought* everything would turn out, in fact, isn't how it is.
Such is life!
We made it out to breakfast and then to the Bible study group at our missionary friends' house for the evening. Bible study is interesting from another perspective, and it's fun to listen to the Russian translation of everything. It's also super nice to talk to Americans...to have people to talk to who understand every word of what you say is a treat. It is socially exhausting to talk across a language barrier, no matter how friendly and wonderful your company is!
So let's talk about fun things here in UA.
1. We went out for coffee this morning and I ordered a fruit filled pastry to go with it. They asked if I wanted ice cream on it. Um, no. It's 9:30am. Not ready for ice cream. Everywhere, any time, people are eating ice cream. As I sit here in McDonald's, probably 80% of the people have an ice cream cone. We saw 2 police officers standing on the corner, eating ice cream cones the other day. The frozen foods sections of every grocery store we've been in has probably 6 feet of freezer space dedicated to individually wrapped ice cream treats.
Our favorite place to get it is at a Gelato place near Coffee Life...SO YUM, and we can get 2 cones for less than $4.
2. Hammer pants are in, as is the concept "more is more". Lots of embellishments on clothing, shoes, etc. Clothes are busy, and everyone is beautiful.
3. Our driver was pulled over for speeding today. He got out of the car with his papers and 50rph (about $6). He came back in 3 minutes, saying that he told the police officer that he had Americans that he had to take to the airport, and he didn't have time, and he gave them the money and we were on our way! I really wish I could have done that when I was caught speeding in Virginia this summer. 50rph is a lot less than what my ticket cost me.
4. There are a bunch of second hand stores here that are fun to poke around in (that's where we found this awesome mannequin), but the clothing is really, really, really second hand, and you have to spend a lot of time finding the perfect item.
5. Restaurants that have picture menus are awesome: McD's, most Sushi bars, and some pizza places. Cafeteria style food is almost as good- you can point at what you want, though you can never be sure what you're getting. Celentanos, Felice's, and Pizza Bella have English menus.
6. I bought a sweet bun looking thing at a pastry counter at the supermarket. Turns out it was filled with some kind of fish paste. NOT what I was expecting!!
7. Smoking is really popular here. More smokers than I have ever been around in my life. It's strange to be in a restaurant and sit next to smokers.
8. Need something to do? Buy a beer from one of the many stands on the streets and sit on a bench and drink with your friends. Don't like beer? It's ok...just do shots :) We did get a beverage and sit on a bench. It was kind of nice.
9. We are getting good at making friends in places that we frequent (ie, McDonald's and the Intelecom internet place). They speak some English, and smile when we walk in the door. I imagine that they say things like, "Aw, aren't they cute trying to speak Russian?!"
10. We spent an afternoon going to every supermarket that we could find (we even rode the bus!!). Most interesting find: Horse Jerky. Yum!
11. Ukraine could really use some more breakfast restaurants. IHOP, Waffle House, etc. Someone needs to teach them about fluffy pancakes.
12. Personal space is different here. If you don't stand close to the cashier/teller/etc, then someone will walk right up and get in front of you. Same goes for driving. If you leave a carlength in front of you (or even if you don't) someone will cut in. When we ride the metro or the bus, everyone packs in SO TIGHT. Literally, there must be no laws about maximum capacity in these situations. People were riding the bus while standing in the stairwell next to the door. I'm surprised more people don't fall out. On the Metro, if you aren't aggressive about getting on or off the car, then you won't get a chance to do either. People aren't rude about it, and they don't push or touch you, but everyone is just CLOSE and no one will step aside for you because it's "your turn".
Got my BGPs on and had a dose of Danya this morning, so I'm feeling much better than I was before.
We were greeted by our boy with giant hugs again today- love him SO much. I cannot say enough about how well he's going to fit in with his brothers...he's SO like them, especially Chase and Guy...they are going to love each other. I can't wait until he realizes that he has brothers- real brothers- and what that means.
Photos from today's visit:
I love his fish face lips when he sucks on a straw:
Man on a mission. Funny- he will only go with me to put trash in the garbage can. That is not something that Daddy can help with.
Back up to our pavilion:
This kid is so cuddly!
Don't tell the nannies that we were sitting on the floor!! He's showing Bryan his see-food. Loverly.
He crawled up in my lap like this:
I love this one:
He's going to be an artist, I know it. He kept trying to draw the same picture over and over again. A little brown circle with lines coming out of it. Hedgehog? Spider? Dog? Moldy bread? I'm not sure, but he was determined to make it.
More drawing:
LOL. I'm going to have to make this a profile pic somewhere. Sidenote: Before we took Danila to the pavilion, we were on the plalyground with the other kids. My friend Vanya wanted my glasses today, too. When he put them on, I taught him how to give thumbs up and say, "Cool, dude!" So funny. I love that little guy, too.
We don't really have any updates on our appeal, other than Tatyana and Serge and Valentin are in Kiev now working on it. I also have support from a geneticist in the states who has expertise in MDs, and from the International Mosaic Down Syndrome Association. I keep passing things on to Tatyana...I figure that she will tell me to stop when I get too annoying.
Although I no longer trust anything about the system here, and have a hard time with having a blind faith that this appeal will go through without a hitch, we DO have complete faith in our Reece's Rainbow team, and know that they are doing everything in their power to make this work for us.
I understand that international adoption is a delicate process, and that there is a history of abuse and trafficking in the system...and that the judges need to be vigilant in protecting their children. I know that this judge is probably overcautious and tentative, because his interpretation of the law in our case sets a precedent in his region for special needs adoptions.
I also know that maybe there is another reason for this. Did we need to spend more time here to accomplish something else? To meet someone? I don't know. Did we need to fight this much harder to appreciate Danila's eventual place in our family? Did we need to open the door for another adoptive family down the road?
I don't know. I really don't.
We're trying hard to have patience and a positive outlook. Mostly it's about staying busy (of course, any other time in my life, staying busy would not be a problem!) while we wait.
Just to build on my last post, I'm homesick. Full blown, admittedly weak, tears-and-snot homesick. I think everything finally just came crashing down on me, and poor Bryan woke up to a sniveling pile of wife in the middle of the night.
I feel like I'm not in the right place.
I'm not home for Ian, Chase, and Gavin. I'm not allowed to be a parent to Danila. I'm neither one place, nor the other, and it SUCKS.
...and I know...patience, and trust, and His plan, and blah blah blah. Right now I just want to be sad and pissed and helpless.
Again, we are not left alone to brood...this morning at 8am, Leonid, Mama Luba, and Vera were outside of our apartment building ready to take us to a new church :)
Leonid had written earlier to tell me about this church, which is in a small village not far from Danila's orphanage. From what I understand, the church is also a Christian school, and the congregation ministers to orphans- out of the 70 children at the church, 30 of them were orphans. On top of that, the pastor had 7 children of his own, adopted 2 more, and 2 of his daughters had adopted 10 more children and 7 more, respectively. Really, really. Talk about walking the walk and talking the talk.
They have a bus that picks up the children from around the village, many of them coming from homes where there is a history of alcohol or drug abuse. They are in the final stages of completing an amazing new building to house the school and the church, where they can accomodate 100 children. They are taught in small classes, like a home-school setting, and then they take their exams at a public school. The people here are so committed to changing these children's lives and giving them more than they could have ever expected. Children's families (those who have them) pay about 200 rph per month (which is about $25) for school, and the church covers those families or orphans who cannot afford that. *If anyone wants more information on this ministry, they are in need of sponsors!!*
When we arrived, we met the pastor and went into the hall where there were children flooding the place. They were almost tumbling out of the bus, smiling, happy, friendly. So many sweet faces. The children sat in rows of benches and small chairs at the front of the hall, the back of the hall filled with the adults. We were led to the FRONT of the church...not just the front row, but up behind the pulpit, front.
In front of the church, at the driveway, they have this sweet little fence:
Leonid was preaching today, and he informed us in the car that we "could say some words about your journey." Ha! Wow. Okay. Vera was also going to talk about her recent trip to Israel, and offered to translate for us should we want to share. Nothing more was really said about it, that we could understand, anyway.
The church service was incredible. The singing was amazing...voices from young and old alike filled the huge hall. I took a video of it before the service actually started (hope that was allowed). There was true JOY radiating from these people.
This was not a traditional service, as there were several groups of children and adults who sang, plus the floor was opened to anyone wishing to do a reading, a recitation, or a prayer. Vera translated some of it, but not all, and assures us that next time we come to Ukraine, she will be better!!
About an hour and a half into the service, we were asked to stand and share our story- Bryan delegated the speaking to me (thanks, honey!) and so I stood in front of everyone and spoke. I didn't have anything written down, but just shared the Cliff Notes version of how we ended up in a small village in Ukraine...how we are all made perfectly in His image...even those who are not "perfect" in the world's eyes...and why we feel so called to speak for children with special needs and provide a home for the least of these.
I'd love to say that I felt the love of everyone in the room...but honestly, I was so nervous, and afraid that I'd say something that Vera couldn't translate...so I wasn't sure how any of it went over. I thanked them for the opportunity to see what they were doing for orphans here, and told them that we felt blessed to share in it this morning. It wasn't until after the service did I feel the love, so to speak, as several older women approached us and said something that we couldn't understand to us...but with kind eyes and faces. Several men shook Bryan's hand as they left, and the pastor thanked me for sharing our testimony, and said that it had already made some families who were contemplating adoption decide that it was something that they could do.
We got a tour of the new school, along with an invitation to have lunch at the pastor's home. They had us at "home cooked food." :) We had a Ukrainian feast...borsch, bread, meatballs, fish, cheese, salami, mashed potatoes with some pot-roasty meat on it... We ate huddled together in a small kitchen where space was limited but family was not. Family in the best sense of the word...happy comings and goings of children, too many cooks in the kitchen, that cluttered, but not messy feel. I *think* that there are 27 people living in the house. I'm not positive...but I think it's true. Additionally, they have a room where children who don't have a home to sleep in can crash for the night. What a humbling experience.
We think in the US that we don't have enough if we can't put anything in savings at the end of the month, or if our children have to share a room, or if we don't have enough storage to put away all our children's toys. We think that we need more money for another extra curricular activity, or for a Vera Bradley bag, or an $80 hair cut. We think that even if we scrimp and save and don't spend money on extras, that we are "just getting by."
We are so, so delusional. Our society doesn't understand where true joy comes from. We could all take a lesson from this village.
I knew that this trip would change our life...but it is not only life-changing, it is perspective-changing.
Surely we are being compensated for our troubles here with the new relationships that we are building.
I didn't have time to post yesterday about this, but after our orphanage visit, we were planning on shutting ourselves in the apartment, perhaps venturing out to find these hazelnut M&Ms that we've been hearing about, and taking a break from society. But our new friends here had other plans for us. We got a call from Vera not long after we got home, inviting us to a BBQ get-together with her orphan ministry team. It was hard to turn her down when she had already planned for her father to come and pick us up :)
So, we went...knowing that it probably was better to be out and do something to take our mind off of everything.
It was such an awesome time. We arrived just in time for the food (sweet!) and got a taste of Ukrainian shashlik (think shish-kabob), grilled outside over a fire pit. There was a giant table set with an incredible amount of food...some of which we had no idea what it was :) Kids were playing everywhere, the energy was high and positive, and it felt so good to be surrounded with everyone.
Leonid and Mama Luba
1/2 of the team, looking down the table from where we sat (notice, the American- ahem, Bryan- finished off the Coke):
After we ate, we gathered inside to see videos and slideshows of all of the projects that they worked on this year. This ministry is awesome, they work with older orphans, taking them on trips (hiking, canoeing, etc) and run camps for them, spreading the word of Christ as well as giving these children a chance to be children, to be in a place where they are loved and given freedom and opportunities to work and grow. I wish I could show you all the pictures so that you could see the kids' faces. And what is really amazing is that many of the volunteers who lead now are former orphans that grew up through this ministry.
If anyone has a calling to do any type of missionary work, or is looking for a cause to sponsor, I would love to put you into contact with this team. This is also a great group just to be in contact with if you are spending any time in this region. Incredible.
Wow. I'd say that I am at a loss for words, but we all know that is next to impossible.
First- Bryan and I cannot believe the outpouring of love, support, prayers, and well wishes that we've received from all of you. Additionally, some of you are gathering research for us! This is not normal, my friends. To go above and beyond for a family that you don't even know...this is the stuff that miracles are made of, and we thank you for all of it. I want to be able to personally thank every single one of you, but I just can't...there are too many, and we have such sketchy internet! But please know that we read every single one of your messages, and are uplifted by each one.
To put it mildly, we were pretty crushed yesterday. We were in a dark place in this journey...wondering WHY...if everything had been cleared for us to follow this path for the last year...why were we sent here if it was simply to be told no?
But as I was reminded today, God doesn't send us out just to turn back again. And as another friend said today, the road may not be smooth, but we're not in a ditch! We're up against a roadblock, but we will get through it.
I'll admit to sampling some good vodka last night, as well as some great European chocolate, and perhaps an ice cream bar...and a good cry. But this is all part of parenthood, right? I've had to be an advocate for my children before, and even though Danya is not legally our child yet, he is in our hearts, and now is the time that he needs us to advocate for him. And we will. (Bryan doesn't want me to say that we're putting our Big Girl Panties on and are ready to fight.)
Secondly- We've had some questions about our plans from here on out. Right now, we're just sitting tight until Tatyana submits our appeal on Wednesday, and then we are praying that we find out our court date by the end of this week. Depending on what that timeline ends up being, we'll either wait it out or we may have to go home and come back. Bryan's mom has been watching the kids with on and off again help for the last 3+ weeks, and is feeling the stress of taking care of 3 boys under age 6. She's done an awesome job, but goodness knows, this isn't what she is used to! Not to mention that even with the best care ever, our boys need their mom and dad back. So, it may end up that we both come home, or I fly home and Bryan stays with Danya...we just don't know right now.
As far as finances go, we're good right now. Again, we just have to wait and see. So far, there will be no extra fees for our appellate court appointment. Where we could possibly run into trouble is if we have to buy extra tickets for the trip home and back, or if we need to keep the apartment here for longer than we had anticipated. But all of that is TBD.
On to the good stuff:
We visited Danya this morning, like normal. I was afraid that they judge's decision would affect our ability to see him, but either it doesn't, or the orphanage director doesn't care. Either way, I'll take it.
Danya must have that crazy 6th sense that Chase does, because when we got to the orphanage today, Bryan and I got the biggest, squeeziest hugs EVER from him. I love when his pudgy cheeks mush up against mine when he gives those kind of hugs.
We needed that, bad.
And just because I have a great internet connection right now, here are some videos of Danya singing (this child constantly has a song in his head. Valentin called him Michael Jackson today- ha!):
Do I begin with the feeling of security about court that we had, that God had moved so many mountains for us already, and affirmed our path in so many different ways? Or maybe about all the successful stories our fellow RR friends have had lately? In and out. Smiling judges. No concerns.
Because certainly, as we were getting ourselves ready for court today, all of that was circling through our heads. This was the the peak of our adoption journey for Danila. We've climbed our way to the top, we've been chasing paper for 9 months, been away from our stateside boys for 3 weeks...we've eaten liver vareniki and navigated through the metro, we've gotten carsick almost every day for 2 1/2 weeks going to visit Danya at the orphanage down bumpy backroads. This was supposed to be the day that we looked out at our journey from the pinnacle of the mountain...where we remembered from whence we came and looked out a future that was safe in the knowledge that our whole family would be together soon.
Not so much, today.
Before we even got in the court room, Tatyana told us about our "big problem." Basically, the judge that has been assigned to us was new to the region and has not heard an international adoption case before. He already asked for documentation that he shouldn't need, and sent her into a whirlwind gathering it up for him yesterday.
According to the way that the adoption laws in Ukra*ne read now, children under the age of 5 years old are ineligible for international adoption, UNLESS they have special needs. There is an official list of special needs, and Down syndrome is indeed on that list. CLEARLY, Danya fits that category. I guess it also needs to be noted here that we are the first adoption case of a child under five with special needs since these new laws have taken effect. Always the trailblazers.
BUT. Danila is listed as having Mosaic Down syndrome. Here's a science lesson for you:
Down syndrome occurs when there 3 copies of the 21st chromosome in a persons' genetic makeup. There are three types- 1) Trisomy 21, where a fluke at the very first cell makes a third copy of the 21st chromosome, 2) Translocation, where a part of the 21st chromosome breaks off and attaches itself to another chromosome, and 3) Mosaicism, where somewhere in the initial cell divisions, a third copy is made and that results in not ALL the cells having the trisomy 21.
The judge decided that since the special needs list didn't specifically say "Mosaic Down Syndrome", that it means that Danya's Down syndrome doesn't count. Even after we submitted documents clearly stating that MDs IS Down syndrome, he didn't agree. Even when the representative from the SDA, the orphanage lawyer, and the prosecutor all agreed that Danya should be with us, he didn't agree. Even after he took over an HOUR to reread all 200 pages of our documents aloud to the court, he didn't agree. Even after we stated our case, and told him that we could fulfill his social, medical, and educational needs...he didn't agree. Even after we waited for an hour and a half for him to deliberate, he.did.not.agree.
He had already made up his mind yesterday.
Danya doesn't have enough Down syndrome to deserve a home.
Is that not the most freaking nonsensical, ridiculous reason that you have ever heard of? Yeah.
I promised Tatyana I wouldn't cry in the court room. I concentrated on the flickering of the fluorescent light bulb overhead (if I had a ladder, I could screw that thing in just a little bit and stop the strobe light effect), the way my feet were falling asleep from sitting so long, the sounds of Bryan breathing and the way he sat so still next to me. I focused on my grumbling stomach and the fact that I hadn't peed for 6 hours (who the hell LOCKS the bathroom doors in a government building!?). I heard the judge reading his decision in a monotone, totally indecipherable way (WHY don't I know Russian yet!?). It made me think of the way that the doctor walked into the neonatal intensive care nursery when we were waiting for Chase's chromosome testing results. We were waiting for the answer, but we already knew what it was going to be.
So what now? Tatyana, our wonderful Tatyana, is championing our cause. She will be working with Serge in Kiev on Monday and Tuesday to gather more documents from the Ministry of Health (and other places that I can't remember) in order to pull together our appeal. Everyone feels strongly that we ARE right; that Down syndrome is Down syndrome, no matter what type it is.
Our appeal should be submitted by Wednesday, and we hope to hear about a date by Thursday. The silver lining is that after the appellate court's decision, there is not a ten day wait, like there is with the regional court we were at today. When we get this judge's ignorant decision overturned (yes- WHEN we do), then we will immediately have parental rights to Danya, and will be able to get his Visas and whatnot and bring him home. Which means, quite possibly, we'll still be on relatively the same timeline we were on before.
So, if you are the praying type, or the thoughtful type, or the Jedi type, we are asking for a quick appeal date and a compassionate judge.
Honestly, at the end of the day, we KNOW that Danila is part of our family...we KNOW that we will overcome...we have COMPLETE faith in our facilitators...and we KNOW that this is just a stumble in the journey. We've seen God break down bigger barriers than this one. We saw Kirill come home, and know that He conquers impossible deeds...It's just that it wasn't supposed to happen this way. And we want to get home to Danya's brothers, who have been so patient in giving up their Mommy and Daddy so that we could rescue him. We belong at home. All of us. And right now is when we should have been celebrating the view as we began our descent back down this mountain.
Today is our 3 week anniversary! Wonder what the traditional 3 week anniversary gift is? If it's chocolate, we are totally covered.
No orphanage visit this morning :/ We got a call this morning that Tatyana and Valentin were finishing some details for our court date tomorrow, so that's why they couldn't bring us to visit Danya. I guess if there needs to be a reason to miss a playdate with him, preparation for the appointment to make us his official Mama and Papa is a valid excuse!!
Although we were bummed at not being able to go this morning, it kind of came at a good time. I had the World's Worst Night of Sleep last night, so I was grateful to be able to climb back into bed and pass out for a few hours. We had the option of visiting this afternoon, but had made some plans to attend a church service with Nathan this evening already. I wonder if Danya misses us, or is just as happy playing with his buddies in his groupa. No doubt he probably had a visit from his grandparents, as well. He is a popular little dude.
We attended the Thursday night worship service at Calvary Chapel this evening. That's where we went to church the first Sunday that we were in Kh*rkov. Nate met us at one of the Metro stations, and led us to the church, because honestly, if it isn't within a 2 mile radius from our apartment, we can't find it.
The service was in English with Russian translation, and had people representing at least 3 different countries. It was pretty awesome to see people from all backgrounds, places, and languages gathered together for Christ. If all goes as planned, and we don't get lost, we'll be going back there for Sunday's service again this week.
We stopped at Pizza Bella for dinner afterwards. Think Fazoli's, but just a little off. Good pizza, and the lasagna was ok, but started reminding me of Chef Boy-ar-dee after a while. Bryan liked it, though. No waste.
I just noticed that it is already midnight, so I'm going to put myself to bed. Need to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed for tomorrow. We feel confidant that the judge will see that Danila belongs with our family, but prayers never hurt. I'll update you all as soon as we hear something!
We set off for McDonald's this afternoon, then Bryan decided he wanted Mexican, and then we found this awesome festival in the park across the street from the Mexican restaurant (that doesn't have any sour cream!!! GAH!!!)
I think that this is the festival to celebrate Ukra*ne's independence. Here are some random photos of people I don't know, just to give you a taste of what it's like here today...
Craftsman working on a mandolin (maybe?). Amazing work:
Capoeria demonstration. Wiki it. I had to :)
Want to go to the bathroom? It will cost you!!!
Doooooooooood. A life-sized fooseball game!!! We need this in our backyard! Between us and the Larsens, we'd have space to velcro all our kids in there and have hours of fun!
Opera house, with a bunch of vendors on the sidewalk. I think this building is really beautiful, in a blocky, right angle kind of way:
Everything is SO green here, I mean, for a large city. The soil is awesome- everything grows. I bet I'd have more luck with my backyard garden if I had some of this amazing Ukra*ne dirt instead of the red clay that we have.
There were like 15 vendors with a thousand little cacti each. Cute, but difficult to travel with, I imagine.
Sculpture in front of the opera house, also very beautiful:
The one thing we bought, I didn't get a photo of. It's honey season here, and we stopped at a booth to buy some local honey. Bryan showed the lady pictures of him harvesting last year's crop from our house, and even though she didn't speak English, it was cool to "converse" with her about it. We tried 2 different varieties that she had...and it was so funny. She had to teach us how to do it the Ukra*nian way. In the US, you'd probably get little tiny spoons of the honey to taste. Here, she took a spoonful, then dripped it on the back of our hands, and told us to lick it off! I think it might taste better that way... :)
There is a man, a grandfatherly type, that visits the orphanage every day at the same time that we do. I always see him with the same baby, quietly talking to him, holding him, ever so gently.
The baby has Down syndrome, and is probably less than 2 years old. He's got blonde hair and a round, sweet face.
The man walks him back and forth in front of the baby house, stopping every once in a while to squat down in front of the stroller to talk to the baby, to hold his hands, or to pick him up and hold him close and walk under the trees with him in his arms. Today he took him up into "our pavilion" and held on to his little pudgy hands and helped him take steps on his string bean legs.
I wave at them, now. And the man always nods back at me. Today I even stopped to say hello and to hold the baby's hands. He reminds me of Chase...with his blonde fuzz, and his almond eyes that look like Japanimation when he smiles...his tiny hands and his small feet.
I just wonder who this man is, and how his heart was captured by this little angel...and what is to become of this little boy. I find it hard not to stare at them as they walk by us over and over again, and when I get back to the apartment, I can still see both their faces in my mind...
Anyway. Our visit today:
Danya (as we found he is lovingly called by his friends and caretakers) was active and happy today. We finally got him to play some sort of kind of structured game with the ball. Well, more structured than just throwing it over the edge of the pavilion :) He has good gross motor skills, but I think that Chase is probably more sure footed than he is. I think I see Chase running more than Danila, making quick turns easier, etc, but I bet that Danya will catch up quickly, and the differences between them are very minimal, PT-wise.
Danya making the sign for Cheerios. We could feed him Honey Nut Cheerios all day and he'd never stop.
Everything is a gun...
Booyah! Look at that catch! Sidenote, doesn't he look like a little thug in this outfit?!
We got out the playdough again after that, and only had one incident of throwing it on the ground. He focused on the play dough for a good 20 minutes, I think. He's got a good attention span, and he likes imaginary play. We brought out the plastic animals and mushed them around in the playdough...I don't know who had more fun, Danya or Daddy!
Tuesday means another visit with our boy, filled with tower building, coloring, and reading books.
Tuesday evening, we set out to take a walk through the park by the river, hoping to find some kind of fair food due to the celebration of U*'s independence, but we didn't find anything, Bryan was too hot in his jeans, and we ended up stopping at the cafeteria-style restaurant instead. I think we've tried most everything there so far, but I ended up with what I initially thought were cabbage rolls, then thought they were perhaps stuffed peppers, and ended up discovering stuffed cucumbers. Not bad, but not what I was expecting! The best side dish to the cucumber rolls was the time we had to sit and Skype with our littles at home. Missing them badly...
We caught the Metro from there, and planned to meet our new friends, Brenda and Willard, for their Tuesday evening Bible Study that they lead. We were supposed to meet Brenda in the Metro station, and apparently she said that she would wait on the platform, and I didn't quite catch that. We probably crossed paths 5 times in the 40 minutes that we were there looking for her. So frustrating! We finally found her, just as the both of us were going to give up and call it a night, I think.
She took us to her apartment, where a crowd gathered. Most of the people there were from the group that we met with last Wednesday night, and it was nice to see some familiar faces. It was a really really nice evening, with worship, lessons, and prayer. What an awesome way to be filled spiritually, and strengthen our prayers for our upcoming court date.
Best of all- we got a ride home and didn't have to navigate the Metro (or the sidewalks, which would have been really nasty in the giant thunderstorm that opened up as we were leaving!)
