A Good Day

3/31/2009

We played outside and Nina got dirty. It was great. I don't think she is allowed much time to get dirty nor use a whole lot of her imagination. So, we had fun scooping up the sand and pouring... as so many kids do... over and over and over. She does NOT like bugs. She enjoyed the twirly slide and climbing the stairs to the play area. Actually, she loves to tackle all stairs by herself. We played so hard that she wore a hole in the bottom of her special, soft bottom shoes. We mentioned to the staff as we were leaving and caused quite a stir. Our purpose was to find out where we could purchase more of the same kind of shoe. (They are soft bottom high-top, house shoe-like shoes. They kind of look like moccasins to me.) When we returned this evening, they had removed the holey shoes and put on tennis shoes with hard bottoms. Nina was having a very difficult time walking in them. So, we inquired again with the staff and caused more confusion. Ultimately, we called our translator and asked one of the caregivers to talk with her. We found out that they had removed the soft shoes and were repairing the holes. (Sewing them.) We asked if we could remove the tennis shoes, and they agreed. One of the caregivers expressed with the frown that she had never seen Nina in tennis shoes. So, off they came. We will see what tomorrow brings, as everyday brings new adventures.

This evening, there were two other visiting "families" in the BIG ROOM with us. After Nina polished off her banana and yogurt, she moved to the other family for food! She eventually worked them out of another piece of candy. Sugar is apparently a big deal here! She decided they were a nice family sitting at the only table in the room, so she proceeded to stick with them. (We were forced to move over and join her!) What was at first a very uncomfortable situation, ended up being quite nice. The other family was very receptive and joined in our "conversation." They helped us understand words Nina was saying and even told us words in Russian. It was good. I had a sticker/coloring book and was able to engage their "daughter." It was fun. She was scared at first, but then she participated. Nina got a little possessive and proceeded to pull the book/stickers near her. (That made me feel good!) Then, Nina and I played Peek-a-Boo (a favored game for us.) And, Jordan had some tickle time and tag time with Nina. The other family took one of our English picture books and worked with their "daughter" on the big rug. It was a good day. In the end, Nina was hungry. One of the caregivers was passing through the play room and spoke to Nina. Nina perked up with a smile, grabbed her hand, blew us a kiss and scampered quickly out of the room to dinner. She had a good day, too, we think!

Between visits, Jordan and I had lunch back at the apartment. Then, we ventured to a local flea market. We wandered through this maze of stands... think of the State Fair stands, cut in half and scooted close together with sloping tables of stuff out in front. We bought apples, an onion, garlic, bananas, a pair of shoes for Nina (that she didn't like), four pieces of Ukrainian made candy and typical Ukrainian shopping bag (made of woven plastic strips.) The little babushkas carry them all over town. We felt like "residentials." We even bought a fried pastry full of pork and onions off the street... it was delicious and sold by the precious little ol' ladies. Their little stand had lace linens in the window. And, they had beautiful, snow white hair. Everything about their little stand was immaculate. We almost returned to find out if they had something sweet and fried! After we left the flea market, we ventured into a baby store to investigate carriage prices. We have seen these really fancy carriages all over town. They are quite expensive. We will stick with our own. We ended up at the grocery store to pick up a few things. Then, we wandered back to the apartment. It was a good day!

Now, we are exhausted but are anxious to hear from the kids today. We missed them yesterday. We miss them everyday.