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At the orphanage

Last Friday,
we got to watch C with his group (they put on a puppet show for the kids), which was a treat. It was great to see how he interacts with the other kids and his caregivers. We were already in the room with C when his group came in and sat down . They all called to him to come sit down- it was so sweet! As soon as they did that, he ran right over and sat next to a little girl who was patting the seat, wanting C to sit next to her. During the puppet show, the caregivers would occasionally call for group participation, either asking a question, or wanting the kids to sing / clap along to a particular song, and C was completely into it- he just loved it! During all of this, he would look back every minute or so, to make sure we were still there. Oh, my heart felt like it would burst- half sad, because of what C will be losing, and half overwhelmingly joyful because of this mother-son bond that is forming between us.

This past weekend,
the orphanage was closed to visitors, so we had two whole days to explore the city. We started out feeling a little timid, but with lots of time on our hands and a desire to fill it, we decided to jump right in and explore. The weather was quite chilly, but that didn’t stop us! It actually snowed on our walk to the market- Andrew thought that was very funny, given the fact that it is almost June. We had been to the local market twice before, but this time we really took our time and found a lot more to buy (to eat) than we had the first few times! It’s funny to try to figure out exactly what the food item REALLY is- even though I can read the Russian words, I am not always so sure what the package/jar/box contains. Sometimes the picture helps, and sometimes not. All in all, we did pretty well!

We also found the children’s store, which is quite large and sells just about everything you can imagine. cost of the ones at home. D and I were amazed at the prices as well. Even a basic umbrolla stroller goes for about $50.00- we bought one at home for $12.00! Guess Mr. C will have to wait until we get home for a stroller ride (we didn’t bring ours to Russia b/c of weight restrictions on the plane).

Eating out has been an adventure here too! We have mostly stuck with what we know, like KFC, pizza places, and Subway (which are all a bit different than they are at home, but close enough), but we have also branched out and tried the unfamiliar. Our favorite so far has been the Irish Steakhouse. The name may lead you to think this would not be so unfamiliar, but the name is VERY misleading. It turns out the Irish Steakhouse is really a Russian disco/pub. It is fairly dark, there is techno music playing entire time, and none of the food is Irish at all- it is actually Russian. Ordering our food there certainly required stepping out of our comfort zone, but we ended up loving it there- yum! We even went back a second night. On the second night, Andrew and Jeremy got out on the dance floor and danced the robot- they even got a thumbs-up from the D.J. :0)
Yesterday,
we finally got to go see Mr. C again! We had a great visit! I was thrilled to see that the two days away didn’t phase him at all. He warmed up to us right away, and even offered kisses without being prompted. He said Andrew’s name for the first time today too, which really thrilled Andrew. D and I are anxiously ready to take C with us, although we really are trying hard not to wish this time away. We know it will come soon enough, and we really want C to have these last few days to warm up to us just a little more, before he has to leave the place that always been his home and the people who have always been his family.

The more we see, the harder it is for us. We know bringing him home will be a blessing to all of us, but that does not change the fact that there will be loss too- especially for C.

Just four more days…

Today,
We took a break from going to the orphanage today- the ride there and back is incredibly tiring and costly. On top of that, we all need a break from that room. Spending 2-3 hours in the same room every day with the exact same toys will wear on any kid, and both C and Andrew needed a break. We will resume our visits tomorrow.

The weather was much warmer today, so we decided to explore the riverfront down in front of our hotel. It was so nice to be outside! Here are some pictures...